Naruto of the Hyuuga clan
by Mind-Slaver
Summary: Naruto born into the Hyuuga clan. Genius in his own right, how far will he get? What enemies will he face? Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other manga/game/movie i took inspiration in. I do not make profit out of this.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto of the Hyuuga clan

Hiashi Hyuuga sat in his study and writing another annual entry into his personal journal. He sat his pen down and sighed tiredly, this much thinking about the events that played out in the past three years from the day of the Kyuubi attack have certainly been hectic. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he once more recollected all the disasters that fell upon the village since then.

"Konoha sure has seen better days" he mused quietly to himself. "All the destruction, the deaths of so many shinobi was just the beginning of our troubles"

Hiashi was a stern, strict and a wise man, that was obvious to anyone that knew him. Immovable pillar of strenght and support for all of his clan, his family foremost, he had to act like a true clan head in order to help his clan the most. There is no place in the world of today for a sympathetic and gentle man, especially one in his position, he knew that and acted accordingly, allowing himself some reprieve only in the circle of his family, namely his wife Hana and their three year old daughter Hinata. And Naruto, the son of his deceased cousin Kushina and Minato Namikaze, jailer of the same Nine tailed fox that attacked their village, a fact known only to select few people in the village.

Namely him, his wife Hana, the Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Third Hokage at first desired to make the knowledge of Naruto's parents and his burden public in order to help raise the moral of their village that was struck with a terrible blow after the attack. Such devastation was not suffered by Konoha in all of its history, and they've been involved in not one but three Great shinobi wars. Luckily, he saw reason after some persuasion by Jiraiya and Hiashi himself. So they cooked up a rather juicy story of Minato defeating the Kyuubi forever at the cost of his life, while Naruto was left out of the whole ordeal. As far as anyone knew the blond Hyuuga child was just another orphan of the attack and will become the ward of the clan under direct care of Hiashi and Hana as his guardians till he can take care of himself and become a full fledged member of the Side branch of the noble Hyuuga clan. Hiashi's hearth ached at the thought and he wiped a stray tear from his cheek. It would do no good for someone to see him emotional like this.

The sealing went along nicely, as nice it can be, given that Minato died to perform it. Jiraiya inspected the seal and found that Minato left it unfinished in order to let the chakras of the Fox and Naruto's own mix. The benefits were increased chakra capacity, a great healing factor, the downsides though were inability to perform the Gentle fist, given that the influx of demonic chakra would make Naturo's control abysmal, and let us not forget the whisker marks and longer that normal canines the child possessed. Luckily, Jiraya found the solution, being a seal master himself, he placed an additional seal on the boy's stomach with its only purpose being to filter the demonic influence from the Fox's chakra before it came in contact with the boys own, enabling him to control it like anyone else could in the future and with some healing cream the birthmarks receded. Now Naruto looked like a normal Hyuuga through and through, save for the bright blond hair that spiked in every direction. Some would question that, but given how Hana herself had dark blue hair and one branch member had pure white like Jiraiya did, everyone chalked it up to some genes resurfacing from his ancestors.

After the attack, when Naruto's existence was brougth to the attention of the Council, Hiashi hoped someone from the Main branch would adopt the child, but it was in vain. He and Hana would have have done it themselves, but that would mean condemning their unborn children to the life of servitude in the Side branch, given that Naruto would be in the eyes of the law Hiashi's oldest and male offspring and slated to suceed him in the position of the Hyuuga clan head. So, after much thinking on his part, he reluctantly placed Naruto in the Branch family, under his guardianship though, given the boy had no lining relatives.

"What a mess I've made, Kushina-nee... I hope you can forgive me, wherever you are now. You too, Minato, my friend. I do promise you this, though, Naruto will recieve all the help I can provide him, those laws be damned!" Hiashi all but yelled in his study. Then he looked around with his Byakugan, afraid that someone might have heard him. The guard at the door looked indifferent, so he assumed the best. He recomposed himself and relaxed in his chair.

"Now lets see what Naruto's up to this morning." he smiled a bit to himself and focused his eyesight at the Side branch rooms where the blond resided. He took a sip of his tea and nearly chocked on it when he laid his eyes on Naruto.

"What in the name of Hyuuga..." he muttered, clearly shocked.

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In his room, we find a three year old Naruto sitting on the ceiling with his Byakugan active and directed at the fifty meters away clan library, trying to read another book on clan's history and refine his control over the Byakugan by fine tuning its X-ray vision in order to red a closed book page by page. It was hard work, given he activated his Byakugan a month before.

Hana-sama taught him how to read since he was two years old, given he could speak rather clearly at that age. She said he was her little genius, given his development, he walked when he was ten months old, spoke clearly by his second birthday, even though his speech mostly consisted of asking her what this and that is. He had almost limitless energy and often pestered his guardians on beginning to train him to become a ninja. He loved the stories about past Hokages and other Konoha heroes the most. Who needs fairy tales, when you can listen about a man who single-handedly raised the forest around Konoha, or the one who killed the mightiest of all the Tailed beasts? He so wished to be like them...

Given that Hiashi-sama deemed him too young to begin his training he spent his time reading in the clan's library searching for some scrolls to help him on his training. His most used book in there? The dictionary. Apparently, all the books and scrolls he found on the chakra, jutsus and his bloodline where filled with terms like chakra pathways, physical conditioning, tenketsu and such. Didn't anyone realise that three year olds don't have that developed vocabulary? Stupid grown ups and their lack of understanding for kids like him...

He finally managed to get hold of some begging chakra excercises like leaf floating and surface climbing which he did for at least a weak and then tried activating his Byakugan. He succeeded rather easily, but boy did it take time to get used to the whole 360 degree of vision. He only hoped Hiashi-sama won't find out anytime soon, or he would be in big trouble.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Naruto heard a voice call out his name. "Naruto-kun, are you in there? Hiashi-sama would like to see you right away."

'Crap! Could it be that he knows already? He could have seen me with his Byakugan... How stupid am I? I should have known he would find out soon enough, it's not like I can hide from his eyes. Oh well, time to face the music.' Naruto worriedly thought before flipping down from the ceiling and responding to the guard.

"I'll be right away, Tokuma-san. Just to put my jacket and sandals on!"

"Alright, I'll wait for you here, Hiashi-sama said for me to bring you there myself. You didn't get into some trouble again, Naruto-kun?" asked a worried Tokuma. He knew the boy rather well, everyone in the clan knew about Naruto and his rather colourful personality. The boy had a heart of gold, was very polite most of the time, but was rather short tempered and prone to causing mischief every now and then. Namely put salt into Hiashi-sama's tea or play pranks on Neji, the four year old son of Hizashi Hyuuga. When Neji once made Hinata cry, Naruto launched himself at the older boy and gave him a nice bruise on his cheek.

'The stuck up kid deserved it' Tokuma mused.

"Trouble, no trouble, why would I be in trouble?" asked a now dressed Naruto appearing in front of Tokuma with a nervous expresion on his face.

"Because you are often in one, Naruto-kun?" chuckled Tokuma, amused by the kid's attempts to hide his apparent nervousness.

"You're so mean to me, Tokuma-san." whined Naruto as they arrived in front of Hiashi's door. He fidgeted a bit in his place and then whispered to Tokuma.

"Ne, Tokuma-san, could you tell Hana-sama I'm here and that I would need her help, please?"

"So you are in trouble, Naruto-kun! I knew it, what did you do now?" Tokuma almost laughed at the scared expression on Naruto's face."Don't worry, Lady Hana is already in there." He said and opened the door to the study, then shooed a somewhat relieved Naruto inside.

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Hiashi and Hana turned to see Naruto come in and then launch himself into Hana's arms muttering something about her saving him from evil Hiashi. Hana gave a nice laugh at his behaviour. She simply loved Kushina's son as her own. Hinata was a nice little girl, if somewhat timid and shy and Naruto was so energetic and merry, you simply had to love him.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, what did you do now? Did you put salt in Hiashi's tea again?" she then chuckled a bit remembering Hiashi's reaction when he spit it out all over his desk.

"No he didn't, Hana. He did something much worse than that. And he will face punishment for it, you cannot make me change my mind this time." Hiashi said in a serious tone looking at hi beautiful wife. God, how much he loved her. Her midnight blue hair that went all the way down her back, her heart shaped face and those white eyes with a touch of lavender in them. Her skin was so perfect and fair, soft at touch, her rather busty figure and those shapely long legs. Oh yes, he hit a jackpot when he married her. He was cut off his musings when Hana lightly coughed and winked at him.

"You want to bet that? Now stop ogling me, there are children here. What did he do?" Hana chided playfully, enjoying the blush that appeared on his cheeks and the confused expression Naruto was now sporting. Hiashi shook his head a bit to get rid of some thoughts his wife just planted in his mind, then spoke evenly.

"Well, do you know what I saw Naruto do just a while ago in his room? He was sitting and looking in the direction of the clan's library. Sitting on his ceiling upside down and using his Byakugan to look around! He went behind our back and started training by himself, does he know how dangerous it is to do that? We warned him at least ten times!" he half yelled at a now scared Naruto who was in Hana's arms still.

"Wow, that is fantastic! No one has ever activated their Byakugan before their third birthday, and he did it by himself! I told you he's my little genius! Naruto-kun, I'm so proud of you!" exclaimed Hana while she started kissing him all over his face and ruffling his hair held in place by a kenseikan head piece she got him last year in order to control his spiky hair. Naruto just smiled and hugged Hana beck, until Hiashi spoke again in a serious tone.

"Hana, please stop that. He could have hurt himself severely by activating his Byakugan given his chakra nature and its abundancy. Naruto, would you activate your Byakugan now, I need to check something." he told Naruto. Hana now was worried herself, she totally forgot about the Uzumaki chakra and the problems Kushina had with her eyes when younger. Naruto did as told and went through the hand seals to activate his eyes. Veins around his temples bulged and the tell tale Byakugan irises appeared in his eyes, his being light blue. Hiashi and Hana both looked on with their Byakugan active and then Hana spoke.

"Naruto-kun, could you try to pull chakra away from your eyes for a bit at a time till I tell you to stop. Okay, just a bit more, now stop and keep the flow steady, good boy. Hiashi, it seems he inherited the Uzumaki chakra indeed, but their is no damage to his eyes from what I see." Hiashi stared as the veins on Naruto's face receded, yet his Byakugan stayed active.

"Yes he did. Kushina's legacy lives on in him, I'm so glad." Naruto then spoke quietly, as if not to be heard by anyone else but them.

"Kushina, Uzumaki? What do you mean? Was she my mother? I'm a Hyuuga, How can I be an Uzumaki, too? Do you know who my father was too?" Naruto was told his parents died and that he has no living relatives by Hiashi and Hana a couple of months ago. He asked for their names, but was told that they were famous ninja who had many enemies and that he will be told when older about his family. Naruto sulked a bit, but understood that he was just a kid and that he was not ready yet. He wished to know now, though. Hiashi and Hana looked at each other and nodded. The boys progress was amazing, and he was rather serious at times, when he wished to be. Besides, denying him the truth now would probably alienate him from them. So Hana took him in her lap and Hiashi started the story of his parentage and the sealing of Kyuubi in him. The boy can channel chakra now and it is a matter of time before he does it with his top of and sees the seal. They really didn't want him to see it and go to the first person and ask about it. That would be disastrous.

"Yes, Naruto. Your mother was Kushina Hyuuga, daughter of Shingo Uzumaki and Hina Hyuuga, your father was Manato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, who died sealig the Kyuubi inside you." Lookin at Naruto's gaping mouth, Hiashi decided to explain things in detail.

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"So, I'm the son of a Hokage and a Hyuuga Main branch member, last heir of the Uzumaki line and bearer of the Byakugan. From my mother's side I got the Uzumaki chakra that is ten times thicker than normal and a strong set of Byakugan eyes, from my father I got a genius mind and probably his talent in the ninja arts, and the Kyuubi gives me fast healing, huge charka reserves and probably wind and fire affinities..." Naruto mused out loud. The Hyuuga pair was worried given his far off look, but they really could not have expected any less. At least he did not start yelling.

"Cool! I'm going to be such a great ninja! Great chakra capacity, perfect control thanks to Byakugan, at least two affinities, stamina and healing at such a high level, this is great!" Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed. Hiashi and Hana could only smile at him. This has turned out for the best, it seems. Then Naruto hugged them both and continued.

"Thank you so much, you've been taking care of me even though you could have just put me in an orphanage, or hate me for having the Kyuubi sealed in me like my mother did. You're the best guardians I could have asked for! And don't worry about me being in the Side branch, I know that otherwise Hinata-chan would have been in my place, so I'm not mad at you two. And I'll keep this a secret from anyone until I'm strong enough to protect myself. I just have one request from you, Hiashi-sama, if I may?"

Hiashi and Hana were so happy, Naruto really understood how to go about this, even if he was a bit over the top with his thrill on becoming a great ninja. They eyed him cautiously though, when he said he had a request. That is until Hana decided to lighten the mood.

"You want Hinata-chan to be your wife, Naruto-kun? That will have to wait till you're older..." she said in a mock serious fashion. Naruto flushed red and yelled at her.

"Don't mess with me, Hana-obasan! That was not what I wanted to ask! I want you to train me in the ninja arts and maybe get me some practise equipment, but I want to start as early as possible. Can I have that?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun. I'll see that you're moved to your mother's house near ours and I'll even give you access to your parents' training notes. You need to decide in what arts to train in and I'll help you the best I can." Hiashi responded kindly.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I will not disappoint you, I'll learn everything there is and become the best ninja there ever was!" Naruto said. And he was right, as his progress will amaze everyone over and over in the Hyuuga clan over the next couple of years and then the whole ninja world will be taken by storm by our blond hero.

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Over the next two years Naruto's development would baffle everyone in the clan. He was revered as a genius on the level of Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha and the past Hokage's, but in truth, he was so much more. Sure those mentioned were great in their own right, but Naruto possessed the Byakugan, rumoured to already be the strongest in the whole clan, he could see the tenketsu already, it was unheard of at his age, which gave him an edge over the likes of Kakashi and Third Hokage, he had many times more chakra than Itachi did when he was a child, he healed almost immediately unlike any of them, had so much stamina that he could train all day and night, it really was not comparable to anyone of those who came before him. His greatest strenght was his will to learn everything though. He did not just rely on his trusty Gentle fist but also took on learning two ancient styles of the Hyuuga clan ancestor, Gen.

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While reading about clan history he came upon some sparse records of their beginings in the Elemental nations. How that opened his eyes... It seems that the ancestor of all Hyuuga, Gen, was from a land called China from over the sea that separates the ninja lands from the rest of the world. He was employed as an assassin by various shady organizations in his homeland, I guess you could call him a ninja before ninja villages even formed in the Elemental nations. Master of several taijutsu styles, he preferred his own Crane style and Mantis style from which the Gentle fist fighting style was developed. At some point in life his eyes turned completely white and he got sick shortly after that. His health deteriorated rapidly and none had the cure in his homeland, so he traveled to Elemental nations with his family to find the cure there if he could.

He did not find it and died shortly after coming here. He did not know, but he had a illness that was caused by the emergence of the Byakugan bloodline in him. His son decided to stay in the Elemental nations and form family here. That is how the Hyuuga clan began. They served the Fire Daimyo as his bodyguards and advisors for a long time before Konoha, or any ninja village was founded, then decided to join after the Senju and Uchiha clans founded the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They should have thought better than that.

It seems that Uchiha and other clans grew fearful of their strenght and set some terms. Given that the clan was large, and everyone in it had the Byakugan, unlike the Uchiha with their Sharingan, the Caged bird seal was enforced on the clan's members, namely, only one child per family was allowed to stay in the Main branch and the younger ones where placed in the Branch family with restrictions on their teachings. The plan was even sanctioned by the Fire Daimyo, who chose to sacrifice one clan in order to have his ninja village. The Hyuuga had no option but to agree, or be killed of. The animosity towards the Uchiha stayed to this day, though.

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Naruto decided to learn the styles in honour of his ancestor, being the fist Hyuuga to do so in the Clans history. Given that he had Earth, Fire and Wind affinities, it made him suitable for learning all three taijutsu styles of the clan. He also took up on kenjutsu, namely iaido, learning from his grandfather's notes. His mother developed a style for herself that involved using two kodachis, but sadly required one to have a water affinity and great(female) flexibility. He would give the notes on the style to Hinata-chan in a few years for she had a water affinity like his mother. He already gave her Kushina's personal taijutsu style, given that the traditional Earth based Gentle fist did not suit the girl at all. She was progressing amazingly well in it.

Now we find a five yer old Naruto resting with Hinata in the Hyuuga garden, taking a break from their training. They are both rather nervous, given that Hana is due to give birth in a few days. Naruto wants a boy so that he could play with someone in the future, that jerk Neji is so cold and envious of Naruto's progress, that he won't even speak to him.

"Naruto-kun, the flowers are so beautiful, are they not? Do you think my mother would like to have some in her room?" asked Hinata.

"I think she would, Hinata-chan, lets get her some." Naruto responded, loving the way young heiress blushed at the chan suffix he adds to her name. So they picked some flowers and went to give them to Hana.

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At her door they found a very worried Hiashi and some rather sad Branch members. Hinata grew fearful and ask her father.

"Father, what is wrong? Is mommy and the baby alright?"

"I don't know Hinata, the nurse said it would be best for us to be patient, there were some complications during the delivery, they are not sure if her and the baby will survive." Hiashi said in a sorrowful tone. Hinata burst in tears and hugged her father. Naruto almost cried himself, but before he could ask anything, the nurse came out holding a baby girl in her arms, while sadness was evident in her voice.

"Hiashi-sama, this is your daughter, Hanabi. Lady Hana named her that, i don't think she is going to make it. The baby will live though, but Hana-sama would like to see you, Hinata and Naruto. She wants to say goodbye."

Hiashi held his crying daughter tighter to himself and went inside along with Naruto. Hana lied on the bed deathly pale, some blood soaked sheets were in the room, which caused Hinata to cry harder and now hug onto Naruto, who himself shed some tears. Sure, Hana was not his real mother, but she was one in all but blood and he loved her to death.

'What can I do, Hinata-chan will fall apart if Hana-obasan dies...' Naruto mused to himself while watching Hana say goodbye to Hiashi, Hinata and newborn he remembered an Uzumaki jutsu that could be used in these situations. It was a life force transfer done through blood, but given him being only a part Uzumaki, he may die in the process along with Hana. 'I must try this. Hope the Kyuubi healing will help me pull through...'

"Hiashi-sama, I think I can save her, just need to keep supplying her body with my blood. Hopefully, my tenant will help me on this."

"Naruto, you don't need to do this, I know what you speak of, but you're not a full blooded Uzumaki like Shingo was, I can't let you do that. You may die also." Hiashi responded and would have gone back to his wife if Naruto didn't pull on his robe and started yelling at him.

"It is my choice, and I will do it with your consent or not! Now get the nurse inside and start the transfusion!" Naruto declared with fire in his eyes, Byakugan activated. Hiashi was taken aback at his proclamation and briefly thought of activating the seal on Naruto's forehead and knocking him out, but dismissed that idea quickly.

'Maybe he can do it. And he would never forgive me if I deny him now.' Quickly taking Hinata outside, he ushered the nurse to start the process and watched as Naruto's blood flowed into his dying wife. The blood quickly replenished in Naruto's veins, but the boy was going pale himself. Activating his Byakugan, Hiashi gasped as he saw Naruto channeling his chakra into Hana's body, that right now started gaining some colour. He went to stop the process, bur Naruto stopped him.

"No! Don't... It is not... complete..."the boy spoke in intervals, breathing hard."I'll know when... the scroll said... five minutes... at least... Don't stop me..."

Hiashi could only nod at this as he watched the minutes pass by and Naruto who was going more pale by the second.

"Done... Hiashi-sama... I... it is... done." and with that Naruto collapsed onto the floor by the bed.

"Naruto! Hang on! Nurse do something! He cannot die, not him!" Hiashi was by this time on his knees holding the boy to him while the nurse used the Mystical palm jutsu on Naruto.

"He will be fine, Hiashi-sama. Just put him into a bed and wait till his chakra replenishes, he also lost quite some blood, but it is replenishing at a quick rate, he will live, and your wife will too. I'll come by later to check on them. Lady Hana will awake by morning." With that the nurse left the room and Hinata burst inside.

"Naruto-kun! D-Daddy what is going on? Is mommy d-dead, w-what is wrong w-with Naruto-kun?" she asked through tears.

"They will both live, daughter. Naruto saved her life, but hurt himself, reckless boyfriend you got here, Hinata-chan" Hiashi said while smiling gently at her. Hinata blushed but still hugged Naruto and started thanking him over and over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Life continued in the Hyuuga clan. Hana pulled through, but remained tied to a wheel chair due to losing much blood and Naruto not being able to give her enough of his life force to heal her nerves and muscles accordingly. Everyone was thankful to him, the whole clan now knew of his deed and that he had Uzumaki blood, being Kushina's son. Thakfuly, they did not know of his father and his burden, though. There was a motion on the council to have his Caged bird seal removed, but he denied it himself, explaining that he was not ashamed of his heritage, and that with Hiashi's approval, he was already learning the finer arts of the clan's styles. Hiashi promised him one favour in the future which he could cash in anytime, and Hiashi would deliver, even Hinata's hand in marriage if he wished to ask for it. Needles to say, said girl fainted at her parent's words, while Naruto blushed like a red lantern.

Even though he saved Hana's life, Naruto felt immense sadness seeing her not able to teach Hanabi how to walk, or play with the little girl in the garden of their home. He threw himself in his training, determined to become even better than he already planned. He planned to be the best, now he will become better than the best. It sounds funny and illogical to many, and Hiashi pointed it out to him, but Naruto is part Uzumaki and he woldn't hear any of it.

The Hyuuga clan didn't brag with their prodigy students like other clans would. Neither Naruto, Hinata or Neji where well known to the Konoha public. Maybe Neji was, being in the academy at the top of his class, but he found it below his honour to flaunt his skills above what was needed to be the best in the class. He was still a bit "jerkish" as Naruto would put it, but after talking with both Hiashi and Hizashi about the truth of the Caged bird seal and clan history, he mellowed out a lot and was nice to both Naruto and Hinata at times. Now he saw Naruto as a rival and dreamed of surpassing him in skill, while focusing on the Earth style of the Gentle fist under Hiashi and his own father's tutelage.

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Naruto hated large parties and the crowd they brought. Formal parties were even worse, like this one on Hinata's sixth birthday. Some Kumo shinobi came to make peace with Konoha and end the fights on the border that raged for the past three years. So he found it neccessary to visit the noble Hyuuga clan and have a good time himself.

Naruto frowned at that, the man just rubbed him the wrong way, as if he could sense the emotions of disgust, greed and treachery the Kumo ninja radiated. He spoke of this to Hiashi-sama a year back, when he sensed some civilians shooting envious glances at them when he was going for a walk with Hinata through the village. Hiashi said something about the previous hosts having the same abillity from the Kyuubi, but he didn't know much more about it, and Naruti was not going to see the Fox about it anytime soon. he would keep his eye on Kugo Ginjo nevertheless.

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Night came in Konoha, and one less than honourable Kumo ninja tracked his way inside of the Hyuuga mansion. Normally, such a feat would be nearly impossible, but he staked out the place earlier tonight while visiting it for a formal dinner. His Raikage, A, gave a direct order for him to capture a Main branch Hyuuga and bring him/her back to Kumo. They failed their mission eighteen years earlier to capture Kushina Hyuuga Uzumaki thanks to that trice damned Minato Namikaze, but they will succeed now. He absentmindedly rubbed the giant scar on his chest he got from Minato's Rasengan all those years ago and cursed the man once more.

"No guards in unusual places... This will be easy." He muttered to himself. Too bad he could not see Naruto looking at him from a good five hundred meters away.

"He's going to Hiashi's house. What is he up to?" Naruto wondered. He stood there, then frowned seeing Ginjo jump out of the house with an unconscious Hinata over his shoulder."That bastard! He will pay dearly for hurting her! I better notify the guards and pursue him."

Naruto ran over to the nearest guard and told him to get Hiashi while he keeps an eye on Ginjo in order for him not to get away, then he ran after the villain. The guard yelled for him to stop, but Naruto was already gone.

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Kugo Ginjo had just escaped the clan compound and sat the sack with Hinata down in order to catch some breath. He looked upon his prey and smiled cruelly.

"You will bring me recognition and Kumo will prosper like no other nation with your offspring under our command. Who knows, mayde A lets me start the clan with you when you're of age."

He was unaware of Naruto watching nearby, suppressing his chakra while burning with rage deep down.'That pig! I'll see that you're tortured before morning! Where is Hiashi-sama? He's a mile away, but he saw me at least... Shit! He is about to move out again, I must stop him.'

"Time to go, princess, log way to Kumo. Just wait till..."

"Eigth Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Naruto shouted. He shot his arm forward and nailed the Kumo-nin right in the chest, sending him tumbling away. He then made a Shadow clone to take Hinata away from the fight. He frowned seeing Ginjo rise from the ground and spit some blood.

"Damn you! What is this? A Hyuuga brat comes to the rescue, hahaha! You'd do well to run away, kid." He would have said something more if a Chakra needle did not just clip his cheek, causing it to bleed a bit. He was so going to kill this brat now. He charged at the kid and scored a chakra enhanced punch to his gut only for Naruto to burst into smoke.

'Damn it, he is at least twice as fast as me, what do I do? Hinata's safe, but Hiashi-sama isn't here to help me now. What to do?" Naruto wondered when a cry of "Found you, brat! Die!" echoed the forest.

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Some hundred meters away everyone watched with their Byakugan active at the battle taking place. They were amazed at Naruto's performance so far. That hit he landed would have downed most chunin, but now the Kumo-nin threw some shuriken at Naruto and everyone feared the worst. Hinata was still asleep in her father's arms due to the chemical Ginjo used on her. They thought Naruto was gone, but a sudden cry of Kaiten! brought their hopes back. To use both Kaiten and Eigth Trigrams Vacuum Palm at only six years old was unheard of in clan history. Then an even more amazing thing happened.

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Naruto panted a bit after finishing the Kaiten, then looked down to the ground. Ginjo was amazed! Such prowess in the Gentle fist was never seen before. He best capture the boy and bring him to Kumo, with some brainwashing he would make a great ninja for his village. He moved forward to knock the boy out, but Naruto's voice cut him out.

"You come to my home under the guise of making peace... You share bread with me and my family... And now you dare rise your filthy hand against my pride... You dare touch her and hurt her... You intend to take her to your wretched village to live there in slavery... MY PRIDE! FOR THIS I SHALL NOT FORGIVE YOU! MEET YOUR END!" Naruto all but roared his words out and then his eyes widened upon seeing eight pairs of pure white chakra tentacles burst out of his back and ensnare his foe who trashed given the tentacles cut into his flesh.

The Hyuuga onlookers watched in silence amazed by Naruto's speech an his transformation. Hinata blushed, now avake and hearing that Naruto called her "his pride". The now heavily wounded Kumo ninja gasped out.

"What are you?"

"Your end. Prepare yourself, fool." Naruto responded, now figuring out these chakra tentacles were a part of his Uzumaki heritage. Then he took his stance. The Mantis, his feet apart left in front of the right touching the grount with just his fingers and leaning his weight on his right foot that was firmly on the ground. His left arm outstretched slightly with his palm closed in a hook, while his right was pulled back at his hip level, forming a hook. He took a deep breath and shot forward with his right hand.

"Ansatsuken So Ryu: Shitenshu" Naruto intoned and lashed out with his right hand towards his bound foe. Then the onslaught began. Paralysed by the first hit, Ginjo could not even scream as Naruto systematically destroyed all the chakra points he struck. Then he paused and uttered "You're dead." Naruto went to strike his now comatose opponent's forehead and kill him, but someone's arm grabed his shoulder so he lost his concentration and succeeded only in blinding him with a blast of chakra from his fingertips.

Naruto looked up and saw Hiashi holding Hinata with his other hand. He smiled at them and said.

"You're safe, Hina-hime. Hiashi-sama, I protected her like I promised long ago. I protected my pride." With that he fainted.

"Naruto-kun!"

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Author's note

What do you think, guys? Any better than the previous one? I tried ti correct my spelling and spacing, so give me your opinion in the reviews. I have the story planned out, so I'm not sure if I can use your every suggestion on the plot, but I'll try.

Take care

Nikola


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Naruto came to his senses he realized that he was in one of the Hyuuga coumpound's koi ponds. The weird thing is that he was not wet and given that he fainted after the fight, he should have drowned by now. Something was not right here. He looked around but all he saw were empty buildings, brick paved paths that all had a blue brick line though their middle. A great number of sakura petals was carried on a cool, gentle breeze, it was in a word, a very serene scene, though something was not right with it all. He could not hear any voices and given that the Hyuuga clan numbered in hundreds of people, this put him on edge.

"Where is everyone? I better look around." he said and got out of the water to look around. He followed the path towards the main house, but could not find anyone, more so he cold not see past the compound walls even with his Byakugan. It was as if Konoha did not exist past those walls. "Something is not right here, I better go to my house, they might have lef some notes for me there..."

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As he got near the house, Naruto got really nervous for some reason. A rather disturbing feeling lingered in the air. It spoke of danger, like there was something inside his home that he was unfamiliar with, something alien. He slid open the wooden doors that led into the main hall of the house and froze on the spot. There, right in front of him stood the biggest cage he ever saw. The height of it was at least a hundred meters, width at least double that and its lenght he could not even percieve from where he stood. Golden bars, thick as the trees around Konoha, formed the cage and its door. The inside was pitch black and even with his bloodline he coul not pierce its depths. At about fifty meters in the air on the gate stood a piece of paper with some weird design on it. It was eerily familiar to the seal he had on his stomach...

"The seal... But that means... Kyuubi." his breath stopped in his throath as implications dawned on him. The empty compound, the blue brick paths, lack of people, the cage with the seal, it all clicked into place.

"So, brat, finally got it? If you stood there any longer I would have needed to draw it for you..." a voice spoke from the inside of the cage. It was deep, malevolent, laden with killing intent and a hint of amusement. "It is I, the great Kyuubi no Kitsune, mightiest of the Bijuu and your prisoner. Say something, brat, or did the big bead fox get your tongue?"

"Kurama-sama, it is an honor. I am Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki Hyuuga, pleased to finally meet you." Naruto said. It was a gamble on his part, but he figured the Fox would like to be addressed with utmost respect. Better play it safe.

"Hmm... Brat you have one long-ass name." Kyuubi spoke and then chuckled seeing its container face fault. "I'll call you brat, and you can call me Kyuubi-sama, is that OK?"

"Yes, I guess I do have. I'd rather have you call me Naruto, but I guess you dont really care for what I'd want?" Naruto responded.

"You're right again, brat. Your wants are very low on my priority list. Say, why are you here? Come to grovel and beg for me to give you power? Or is this just a social visit, son of Kushina?" the Fox responded. He really was not in the mood for social visits or giving away his chakra, or explaining, or anything if he was to be honest with himself. Sealed for the third time inside of an Uzumaki, twice manipulated by that accursed Sharingan in the last hundred years, not a record to boast with.

"Actually, neither, Kyuubi-sama. I overexerted myself in a fight with a lousy Kumo jonin and ended up in here. I would like to know why you attacked, though, my mother wrote about you in her journal. She said you were a bit on the grumpy side, bur manageable and I know you could not have got away from the seal on your own, so I'd like some of your input on this."

"Did you kill the jounin?" on Naruto's negative head shake, the Fox continued. " A pity... Though from what I saw in your memories you got him good. He will be lucky to live as a vegetable for the rest of his life, good job, brat." Kurama paused, as if deciding on what to say next and then spoke. "On your request to know what happened that night, I find myself not willing to humor you. Thank you for visiting, now get out!"

"Wait, Kurama-sama, I need to know!" Naruto shouted, feeling a pressure building from inside the cage that pushed him out of the house.

"No you don't. I decide when you will find out the truth!" the Fox snapped. Then it smiled, or snarled, it was difficult to read its facial expression, showing its teeth. "Thank you, come again!"

With that, Naruto was flung out of his mindscape into the real world.

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When he opened his eyes, Naruto found himself in a bed inside the hospital wing of the Hyuuga compound, wearing only his underwear and a simple open robe found in hospitals. His long hair was strewn about on his pillow without his kenseikan or even a hair tie to keep in in its place. He shifted in bed and just then noticed a mop of dark blue hair tickling his nose. His breathing became erratic and his nose twitched uncontrollably.

"Achoo!" he sneezed loudly and cursed. Hyuuga do not sneeze if they are not sick and even then they do it in a much more polite manner. The mop of hair moved, startled by his outburst, revealing itself to be a head of one Hyuuga Hinata. She opened her eyes, saw him and then proceeded to try suffocating him to death.

"Naruto-kun, you're awake! I was so worried for you!" Hinata cried out and then buried her head in his chest and started crying softly. Naruto smiled in turn and hugged her gently, running his fingers through her hair.

"Good morning, Hinata-chan. Glad to see you're awake and well. Could you get Hiashi-sama and your mother, they should know I'm awake?"

"There is no need for that." a voice interrupted. Hana and Hiashi came into the room causing the two children to almost fall out of the bed in fright. "We heard the sneeze all the way to our house. In fact, I believe the Hokage sent an ANBU unit to investigate the disturbance by now. You should really mind your manners, Naruto-kun." Hana playfully chided from her spot in the wheelchair, while Hiashi narrowed his eyes at the sight of his daughter and Naruto. Embraced. In one bed. In just their sleep clothes. Blushing.

"Uzumaki... Unhand my daughter now or you'll find yourself unable to use your hands for quite some time." he all but snarlled.

Naruto pulled back his arms as if he was hugging a cactus and started apologizing awkwardly. He knew that Hiashi was pissed whe he spoke to him as Uzumaki. It was a rare occurrence, but when he did, Naruto was in trouble. The clan head always blamed his lack of tact on his Uzumaki genes amd he was right. Hinata blushed an pulled back too, but remained in his bed, while Hana laughed. Hiashi schooled his face in his serious expression and spoke in a soft tone.

"All jokes and your behaviour with my daughter aside, I owe you my thanks, Naruto-kun. You saved my daughter and for that I owe you another debt that can't be repaid. Thank you." with that Hiashi bowed low and Hana joined him in her wheelchair. Naruto blushed again and responded squeezing Hinata's hand along the way.

"Think nothing of it, Hiashi-sama, Hana-sama. I did promise to you both to take care of her. Hinata is my pride, my precious person, just as you two and Hanabi-chan are."

The two females in the room teared up and hugged him at the same time. Hiashi waited for a moment, then coughed lightly to get their attention.

"You speak true, Naruto-kun and wise beyond your years. Now get dressed. when you're proper join us in the clan meeting room. The council and I will brief you on the events that passed by since last night. You're hair clips are on the table to your left." Hiashi chuckled at the embarrassed look on Naruto's face, then he left the room with Hana in tow.

"They are not hair clips! It is called kenseikan and lots of nobles wear it!" Naruto all but yelled, causing Hinata, who remained behind in th room to laugh. God' how he liked that laugh.

She stood up and got out of bed then turned to him. "Naruto-kun, thank you for saving me. I... I l-like y-you!" she spoke while twiddling her fingers then proceeded to kiss him on the cheek and bolt out of the room as if someone chased her out. Naruto sat in bed rubbing his cheek lightly and whispered. "I like you too, Hina-chan. More than you know..."

The clan meeting passed in a flurry of activity and questions and left a foreboding feeling in Naruto's chest. He was thanked at least fifty times by various people, his skill was praised, congratulations were given to him for activating his Uzumaki bloodline, but when it was all over everyone was fearful of Kumo's response to the incident. Hokage was present too, and said that he will do everything in his power to aid the Hyuuga in the fallout of the incident. However, everyone was on edge afterwards. Politics are like working with garbage disposal. No matter how much you try to keep yourself clean, the smell will cling to you, and with Raikage's involvement in this there is no telling how thing will turn out.

Naruto was glad that the bastard lived, even though he was a vegetable at Konoha's hospital. Yamanaka already dove into Ginjo's mind and found about the motives of kidnapping. Apparently, the Raikage staged the whole peace treaty just to get Hinata to Kumo and then breed Byakugan there. That info sure would help Konoha in the negotiations, it will serve to refute any attempts by Kumo to present the incident as a case of Konoha's mala fide assault on the "esteemed ambassador". Now they could only prepare and wait.

The meeting with Kyuubi was something Naruto decided to keep to himself. Not that he did not trust Hiashi-sama, it just that they had a lot on their mind right now to worry about that. He will inform them at a later date, when this blows over.

Naruto spent a day with Hinata, Hanabi and Neji, retelling the details of the fight and simply enjoying himself. Then he decide to hone his skills further with liberal use of Shadow clones and practise his new ability with help from his mother notes and Uzumaki clan records Shingo placed in the library. Apparently, only he could use the bloodline, not the clones, given that it used a lot of chakra and acted more like a set of limbs than a chakra construct. he did not get to make any techniques like his mother had barriers and different bindings, but he could activate it within seconds and move large stone blocks with some effort. Kushina could hold down a Bijuu, so, yeah, he needed time to get at her level.

Then, two weeks later, Kumo's response came and Hiashi was summoned to Hokage's office. Dread filled the hearts of Hyuuga clan members. Longest two hours of Naruto's life.

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The Hyuuga clan room hosted the entire clan, minus the young children and nursing mothers and guards. It was rarely done,the great ensamble of the Clan only met when big decisions were made for the clan's future. Naruto himself was present for the first time and found the silence of some five hundred people kind of creepy. It felt like in a funeral, not even few young children, offspring of important council members, spoke. Our hero stood near the front with Hinata, Hana and Neji with him. He was dressed in the clans formal robes, a white open kimono with the clan crest on the back, a cream undershirt, loosely tied obi and traditional sandals on his feet. his blonde hair was framed in his kenseikan with three strands hanging over his left eye. Rigid, his back straight, he cast a look around and saw that almost everyone was dressed the same. Sea of white parted as Hiashi strode in, his face stoic, but many could see the haunted look in his eyes. 'Not good' thought Naruto. and it was not good.

"My fellow clan members, the response from Kumo arrived today. I've been going over it with the Hokage-sama and his advisors, then the council heads of other shinobi clans. I have no good news, regretfully."

The room erupted in calls of "What do those bastards want?" and the like, but Hiashi raised his hand to silence them. He took in a breath and all but whispered.

"They want Hinata." Naruto's breathing stopped entirely and he went almost deaf for a couple of seconds. He was mildly aware of Hana's horrified gasp, Hinata hugging him like a lifeline and her sobbing, the shouts from all over the room that cursed Kumo and called for war. All that stopped, save fo Hinata crying in his chest when Hiashi yelled "Silence!"

"The Raikage got his hands on some of the laws from the village's founding and under the guise of another peace treaty decided to unite his family with Hyuuga clan by marriage of Hinata and his son." The way Hiashi spat out marriage an peace treaty made clear his thoughts on the subject. "The clan heads, spearheaded by Uchiha voted in favour of the agreement. Only Kurama clan head, advisor Danzo and I were against it. They fear another war, my brother and sisters and with a reason. We are still weakened from the Kyuubi attack, Iwa would join them in case of war and our allies are not numerous."

"Is there anything we can do, Hiashi?" asked a teary eyed Hana. Hiashi looked at his wife and child and his heart broke.

"Raikage has the backing of his Daimyo, Hana, and given that Hinata is not in any arranged marriage, even our Daimyo agreed in the end. In a week, Raikage and his son we'll be here to sign the treaty and marriage agreement. I'm affraid..."

"Hiashi-sama!" a voice broke out from the first row of clan members. Everyone turned to the source and saw Naruto on the floor bowing so low, his head touched the mat. "What if Hinata-chan had a betrothed by the time they arrive?" Hiashi frowned at the loud tone of Naruto before responding.

"Well, that arranged marriage would take precedence over Kumo's attempt." He thought for a while and then continued. "But Raikage would take that as an insult to his home and demand satisfaction. In old days, when Konoha was founded, the dispute over a woman was settled in a duel between the suitors. Why?" he asked Naruto.

" Hiashi-sama, if that is the case, I wold like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage, if she would have me." said Naruto, now in front of Hiashi, still bowing low. Hiashi went to say something, but Naruto raised his hand and spoke again. "I like her, I may even grow to love her, but if she wishes so, I will annul the agreement immediately after Kumo withdraws their request. I do know I'm just a Branch member, an orphan, not the most suitable candidate for her hand, but I will defend my pride. If you object, I'm willing to take you upon your word as a clan head you gave me last week to have the honor to protect her. Please, take everything in consideration and if you approve, I promise on my life that I will succeed in my mission."

"Very her"

The aftermath of that meeting that ended in cheers deeply affected Naruto. The whole clan stood by him and supported him, which spurred him train harder than ever before. He was almost looking forward to the inevitable duel. Raikage was prideful, his son was a chunin ninja at the age of ten and if Naruto knew Kumo it would be a swordfight. Was it risky for him to do this, charge in blind in a confrontation? Yes. Naruto was willing to bet his bloodlines though, that all will play into their hands. Kumo ninja were not known for their brains, but for their pride and tendency to underestimate people. He is just a six year old kid, what could he do against a ten year old chunin trained in swordsmanship and Raikage's son? A lot, that's what. He would rather die then allow his betrothed to go with some pig from Kumo.

Right now we find Hiashi, Hinata and Naruto going to Hokage's office to meet the delegation from Kumo. They, in agreement with Hokage decided to leave the Raikage in the dark. It increased the shock effect it will have, almost guaranteeing that the meeting will end in blood. Just like Naruto wanted. He had a bone to pick with them for attempting to kidnap his mother and now Hinata-chan. They would pay.

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"Hokage-sama, Hyuuga-sama is here with his escort. Should I send him in?" a woman, secretary of the Hokage called from the intercom on his desk. Hokage's company at the moment, Kumo's Raikage, his son, adopted brother and a bodyguard perked up on this, knowing what is to come.

"Yes, send them in, Miu." Sandaime said, slightly on edge with the ordeal that is to come. A was a rather short tempered child, who is to know his reaction?

A and his escort turned around and saw the Hyuuga clan head enter with his daughter i tow and a child? Their confusion was noted by all Konoha ninja and the two kids. Raikage, not bothering to stand up, spoke up.

"I'm A, the Raikage of Kumo. This is my brother B, my bodyguard C and my son D, the future husband of your daughter, Hyuuga-san." In order, the muscled man with seven swords on his person nodded, a rather unimposing bodyguard bowed and a overly muscled, dark skinned kid with sunglasses smiled at Hinata, who in turn grabbed Naruto's hand. Hiashi was not impressed by the casual dismisal of the man or the lack of respect they were showing. Not standing up to greet them, wearing sunglasses in presence of a Kage was an insult to him. He repressed his disgust and replied.

"An honor, Raikage-sama. May I present my daughter Hinata and her betrothed, Naruto Hyuuga." All of Konoha's citizens present wished they had a camera to capture the moment. The shock on A's face was replaced with rage as he exploded.

"What! She is to be my son's wife! This is an insult of the highest caliber, Hiruzen! Do you wish for war?" Sandaime took the anger in stride and calmly responded.

"It would be best for Hiashi-sama to explain, I believe."

"Certainly, Hokage-sama. After your generous treaty agreement that includes my daughter's hand in marriage, I was dismayed, to say the least. I understand perfectly what this marriage would entail, so I sought a solution. Naruto-kun, my future son in law, and a person dear to my daughter's heart, provided it. According to the laws of Konoha you cited in your request, a marriage proposal can be rejected if the woman in question already is part of a marriage contract. My daughter agreed to marry her chosen some time this week, so we regretfully could not inform you. Your trip was in vain, it seems. Be assured that the noble Hyuuga clan will repay you for your travel and lodging cost." You did not need the Byakugan to read the emotions present on Raikage's face, or that of his escort. D was the first to act. He jumped out of his chair and went to punch Naruto, but was held back by B.

"You bastard! She is mine, you hear! I'll kill you!" he ragged on. Naruto was not worried in the least. 'Time to act' he mused to himself.

"I'm affraid you are mistaken, Kumo-san. I know my lineage quite well. Can you sy the same? For the record, Hinata-chan is not a prize to be won or some Kumo hussy you can claim as yours. She will be my wife if she wishes so when we grow up, and there is nothing you can do to change that." He spoke in an even tone, still holding Hinata's hand lovingly. He let her go and stepped in front with his Byakugan active when D brandished his sword and channelled lightning chakra through it.

"Order!" yelled Hiruzen, standing up. B grabbed his nephew and had him put his sword back in its sheate. A was the one to spek next.

"Hokage-sama, this insult will not go unpunished. I demand that you hand the girl to us. And the blonde's head as satisfaction." Hokage thought for a bit and then moved to the main point.

"Raikage-dono, I'm sorry to say that is impossible for me to do. The betrothal contract is legit as you can see." he said offering the paper Hiashi placed on the desk. " If you wish to refute this, the only option is for young D to challenge and defeat Naruto-kun in aduel for Hinata-chan's hand in marriage or let it go. The laws were made when Konoha was founded, I can not alter them." For a moment, everyone was silent, then D spoke.

"Alright, loser. I challenge you to a duel. The winner takes the girl. And that would be me when I cut off your ugly head. What do you say? Scared?" Naruto was waiting for this for a long time already.

"I agree to your challenge, Kumo-san. Though I did not know someone with your skill can cut my hed off. it is always the weak dog that barks the loudest. Name your terms." He added the insult for good measure. It was A who spoke next.

"The duel will be fought using kenjutsu skills only. To the death! That includes channeling chakra through the blade, if you've heard of it, brat. No handsigns, no genjutsu or any skills unrelated to the blade or performed without one. That means no Byakugan jutsu either." He then turned to the Hokage. " I want that treaty signed anyway, Hiruzen. My son will kill the brat in two days time and then we leave with the girl for Kumo. And make sure there is an audience along the Daimyos who arrive tomorrow. I like a good show." A stood up, took the treaty papers and placed his seal of approval. Then he went for the door. "B, C, D, we leave now."

An awkward silence settled in the room. Hinata hugged Naruto and spoke through tears.

"Naruto-kun, you don't have to... I don't want you to die..." Naruto hugged her back and whispered in hear ear. "Hina-chan, do not worry, that guy has nothing on me. I will avenge my mother and your tears in his blood in two days. I promise." He kissed the top of her head and she just nodded in his chest. they were interrupted by Hiashi's voice.

"Uzumaki... You are not married yet, and if you continue with that hugging and kissing, you will never be married." That got them to separate. Hokage was next to speak.

"Naruto-kun, why are you so certain in your win? You know something we dont?"

"Hokage-sama, I did not insult him just now and then activate my Byakugan when he drew his sword for nothing." At the questioning look he got from Hiashi and Hokage he continued. "He will underestimate me for my age and the supposed lack of skill I have in kenjutsu, which is far from true. He is brash, like his father, and his rage will be his downfall. I looked at his chakra coils an sword with my bloodline and I see he is an amateur at best. How he got to chunin, I can't tell. His reserves, while rather large, are smaller than mine and his control is horrendous. He poured almost a tenth of his chakra in that sword, which is faulty by itself. Lightning heats the blade and damages it over the time. I'm sure that with my wind coated sword, I can break it in half. Believe in me."

With that, everyone went on their way.

The day of the duel was here and the stadium, normally used for Chunin exams was packed. Daimyos of Kumo ond Hi no Kuni sat in their respective boxes, Hokage and Raikage sat together with their bodyguards standing behind. Jiraya was there on Hokage's call and anxiously waited for the match to start. Even Tsunade came, if only to bet on the winner. Why she listened to Jiraya and bet on Naruto she will never know. The odds were twenty to one for him, after all, he did not even start the academy yet and was going against a chunin. The Hokage stood up and greeted everyone.

"Respected audience, today we will witness a duel between D the Raikage's only son and chunin of Kumogakure and Naruto Hyuuga, Branch member of the Hyuuga clan. The duel rules forbid anything other than kenjutsu skills from being used. Channeling chakra through swords is allowed, but anything else is prohibited. the match will begin in five minutes, the contestants should get ready." Hiruzen sat back in his chair and frowned not seeing Naruto anywhere. D was already in the field waiting with the proctor, Gekko Hayate.

"Sensei, does the brat have a chance?" asked Tsunade. Hiruzen chuckled and answered. "Tsnade-chan, you will find yourself surprised and rich after this match. Just enjoy the show." Jiraya decided to pipe in. "Tsu-hime, I hope you'll find a way to thank me for making you bet on Naruto." Then he giggled and was promptly bashed on the head by the woman.

Down in the Hyuuga box, Hana sat with her daughters and husband waiting nervously. Hanabi should have stayed at home but she cried and pouted till they brought her along.

"Will he win. Hiashi? I cannot help but worry." It was Hinata that answered her. "Naruto-kun will win. He promised to." Hanabi heard Naruto's name and spoke up. "Ruto-nii-chan wins! He is best!" Hiashi decided to warn them on something. "Naruto told me not to use my Byakugan to watch the fight, I told the others already, you do the same. And be sure to cover Hanabi's eyes when the flash happens." Hana was a bit in wonder of what Naruto meant, but nodded her head,

The five minutes was up and Hayate with D walked to the center of the field. He looked for Naruto and decided to start anyway. Daimyos were present along with the Kages and all clans in Konoha. He had to.

"The duel will start now. Will Naruto Hyuuga come to the field to fight!" D decided to trash talk a bit seeing his opponent not there.

"He obviously chickened out! All that talk about Hyuuga honor and pride and now this? I'll have the girl now if you please, call the..." He was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Sorry I'm late, proctor and honourable Daimyous, Kages, clan heads and other audience. I had to make myself a blade for this occasion." he said using his chakra to carve a swirl near the pommel of his poorlu crafted... bokken? The wooden blade seemed like it had just been carved from a tree branch. Standard lenght for a katana, polished in some places, but with some traces of unfinished craftsmanship. D looked in wonder, then bust out laughing.

"You want to fight me with a piece of wood? You are either crazy or you don't care for that bitch in the stands." Naruto narrowed his eyes and responded in a chilling tone.

"I actually thought of cutting your hands off instead of killing you, but now you will die. And for the piece of wood comment, I could kill you bare handed, but the rules say I need a sword, so I had to make one. Hayate, start the match."

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Up in Hokage's box Tsunade eyed the wooden blade and then her eyes widened.

"Sensei, is that what I think it is? You actually gave him my granpa's blade?" Hiruzen chuckled at her expression. "Yes, Tsunade-chan, that is Hashirama-sensei's blade. He gave it to me, but I'm more of a staff user, so I gave it to Naruto for this match. If he wins, he can keep it, though if he loses he will die and not need it anyway."

"Lame joke, sensei" said Jiraya. "Naruto will win, just you wait."

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Hayate backed off a bit and called out. "Are the fighters ready? Them begin!" and with that he distanced himself further.

Naruto and D stood there, their blades in hand and at the ready. between them was some fifteen meters. They looked at each other before D charged in, his sword in line with his chest horizontally.

"Cloud style: Front beheading!" he cried out, bringing his sword in a wide arc, aiming for Naruto's neck. His sword crackled with lightning but half a meter from its destination it was stopped by Naruto's blade covered in wind chakra held in two handed grip, instead of D' one handed. Naruto looked him in the eyes and before D could bring his other hand to strike, or even pull back his swor, for then he would get killed by Naruto's blade, our blonde Hyuuga bowed his head and called out his jutsu.

"Uzumaki Hyuuga style: Hinata!" And then there was a flash of light, temporarily blinding D. This was one of Naruto's original kenjutsu. It did what its name said "Sunny place". By covering his blade in wind chakra and then making a small flame with his fire affinity the wind shell exploded in bright white light. The effect was as if you looked in the Sun at noon.

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The stadium rubbed their eyes, especially the Uchiha members who were seated in front with their Sharingan active in order to watch the fight in better light. Right... Even in the Kages' and Daimyos' boxes the flash hurt their eyes a bit. Needless to say, everyone was stunned. but this was not the end. The worst was yet to come. Hana wisely covered Hanabi's eyes.

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Naruto did not pay heed to his opponents cries, apparently the blast singed his face, he just moved back to back with D with grace only seen in someone who mastered Kaiten and began his assault.

"One!" and his wind covered blade struck D's kidney, causing him to scream in pain. With his Byakugan active, Naruto saw he struck true and continued.

"Two!" the sword hit the liver.

"Three!" spine was severed.

"Four!" D's right lung was punctured.

" Five!" and he struck the heart. His opponent was dead on his feet, but Naruto continued. Kumo assaulted his mother, Hinata-chan, his honor, his clan, his village, his pride!

"Six!" and sword struck the collarbone and the clavical vein.

"Seven!" and Naruto cut into D's jugular.

"Eight!" The wind covered bokken went into D's skull like into butter.

"Nine!" and with this Naruto turned aroun and with a swipe of his sword decapitated his opponent. He flicked the blade clean and said.

"Uzumaki Hyuuga style: Kushina"

END

Thank you for the awesome reviews, hope you like the chapter. Later

Nikola


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Naruto lowered his blade after flicking the blood away from it and stopped channeling his wind chakra through it. He took a deep breath and looked at the stands with his Byakugan. He took in the faces of all the people in attendance, their reactions, body language and some of the things they were saying. He saw the Hyuuga clan members cheering in victory, the happy faces of Hiashi and Hinata, Hana held her baby daughter close to her preventing her from looking at the arena and D's dead body. The Raikage was rushing down the stairs to his son's dead body, nearly knocking over some of the ANBU members in charge of securing the arena. The Hokage remained seated, talking with Jiraiya and some woman that Naruto could only guess was Tsunade of the Sannin.

Then came the high pitched whistling in his ears, Naruto's heart beat like a war drum in his chest and he felt nauseous all of sudden. He deactivated his Byakugan in order to fight the urge to throw up right there, but the feeling remained. His mind was a whirl of emotions and thoughts and for the love of everything holy, Naruto could not make out hed or tail of his thoughts. He was elated that he won, not only did he protect Hinata-chan, but he also got his pound of flesh from Kumo, he avenged his mother's kidnapping, killed that bastard that wanted Hinata-chan... Then it all came to him. He KILLED! Willingly butchered another human. Why did he not stop when his opponent was blinded and defenseless? A slash to D's legs would give him victory all the same. Did his desire for revenge turn him into this? A murederer?

Naruto glanced at D's fallen body and saw the Raikage holding his son's head, kneeling in the puddle of blood and weeping. His muscled form was shaking erratically, and it all seemed so alien to Naruto. This mountain of a man sobbing like a child... So pitiful, so disgraceful, so sad and tragic... And it was by his actions that it happened it clicked in Naruto's mind. He brought the proud Raikage to his knees in front of all these people, he took his only son away, he stood victorious over him. A part of Naruto wanted to stay longer in the field, to savour this feeling of complete victory, throw a witty insult at the downed man, but he faltered. He was mildly aware of Hayate pronouncing him the victor and calling for the medics to take the dead body away, his eyes were glued to the sight before him. He muttered a weak apology to the kneeling Kage and immediately went for the medic bay near the arena.

Naruto just then noticed that his hands were shaking, as he was trying to wash his face over the sink. When he looked in the mirror, he only saw the upper part of his face, his hair stood perfectly framed in his headpiece, three bangs falling over his left eye and the rest was swept behind his right ear and towards the back of his head. Kami, his hair never looked better. His eyes were the same white with some light blue in them, wide open from the shock. A single trail of blood was on his right cheek, D's blood, he reasoned. He went to gather some water in his shaking hands and bring it to his face to clean it, but failed due to his hands shaking. A hand landed on his shoulder and went to turn him around and he almost jumped in fright, turning around only to face Hana, sitting in her wheelchair, her other hand holding a wet handkerchief.

"Naruto-kun, let me clean your face, please." she almost whispered looking at his frightened form with sad eyes. It broke her heart to see him like this.

"Oba-chan... I, I killed him..." Naruto choked out and flung himself into her arms, crying.

"Naruto-kun, you won. You saved Hinata a fate worse than death. You upheld our clan name. That is all that matters. We are all immensely proud of you." Hiashi spoke from his place behind Hana, holding Hanabi on his right arm and Hinata in his left beside him.

Hana carefully stopped caressing Naruto's head and back and then proceed to remove the blood from his face gently. Hinata let go of her father's hand and went to hug Naruto from behind, whispering a thank you in his back. Hanabi squirmed in Hiashi's hold till he put her down, then walked over to Naruto and hugged his side, looking up to his face.

"Nii-chan, why are you crying? You beat that bad guy that wanted to take nee-chan away. You're a good boy, you saved my nee-chan! Thank you."

The last part was said with so much emotion, Naruto could not help but smile and embrace both Hinata and Hanabi. Hana and Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief at the scene and think that it went rather well. During their lines both of them saw many situations like this that resulted in hysterics, severe shock and trauma that lasted for days for some people twice Naruto's age after thier first kill. He is lucky to have all of us to support him, if he were alone... They let that thought drift away and turned to more pressing matters.

"Naruto-kun, the Daimyo and some of the clan heads would like to meet you. Should I tell them to wait till tomorrow when the Council meeting was scheduled, or can you meet them now?" Hiashi asked in a soft tone.

Naruto paused for a second in thought. He could hear the many people talking quite loudly in the arena, some demanding payment from the betting officials, some praising his skill. For the life of him he could not gather the courage to go out there again.

"I would like to rest for today Hiashi-sama. I'm not injured or anything, but I feel so tired and my head hurts from all the noise outside."

"Very well, I'll tell them that we will meet them tomorrow at the meeting." Hiashi responded and than gained a soft glint in his normally stoic and strict eyes." And do call me Tou-san from now on. You are my future son-in-law, after all."

Naruto's face was a mix of shock and embarrassment. "Hai, Hiashi Tou-san. I still stand by my promise though, you can annul the betrothal if you wish, or if Hina-chan does not wish to be my wife."

"I believe Hinata-chan has no objections, Naruto-kun. And we could not wish for a better man to give her to one day." a smiling Hana said.

Hiashi nodded in affirmative and then sent them home while he remained to tell the Daimyo and Hokage of Naruto's decision.

The group of Naruto, Hana, Hanabi and Hinata met up with other Hyuga clan members and after some congratulations were given to Naruto, they all left the stadium towards the clan compound. When they were passing the Hokage tower, a muscled, dark-skinned man that Naruto recognised as B, Raikage's brother walked over to them. The clan members were quick to stand in front of Naruto, Hana and her two daughters with their Byakugan active ready to defend them.

"Whoa, no need for that, i did not come here to seek a fight with you, Hyuga." the muscled man waved them of, raising his arms in the air to signify he meant no ill to them.

Hana was the first one to answer, given her position as the clan head's wife. "You will forgive us if we remain on guard, Kumo-san. Given your village's actions towards our clan, we have all the reason to think otherwise."

The man took the response in stride and looked Naruto in the eyes."You fought well, Naruto-san. Even though you're only six, I can see you have considerable skill with the blade." His visage then darkened somewhat." You were obviously the better fighter, couldn't you have shown mercy to my late nephew? Did you have to kill him? And so brutally?"

Naruto's rage he felt towards Kumo returned tenfold."Mercy? Would he have shown mercy to me, if our roles were reversed? What would have your previous Kage done to Kushina Hyuga if her kidnapping was successful? What would your brother do to my fiance if I failed to stop this villainy? You made your bed, now lay in it."

"I see, Naruto-san. I'll tell you this though. No action is without consequence and in time you'll regret killing D." B said and then turned to leave. He paused after a couple of steps and shot over his shoulder." I wish you a good life, Mister Nine."

The guards relaxed somewhat and turned to leave again, missing the ashen faces of Naruto and Hana. 'FUCK!' Naruto yelled in his head.

After their return to the Hyuga compound, Hana called Naruto over and told him to go and rest for a while. She said she would inform Hiashi when he returns and then call for him to discuss this development together. Naruto went to rest in his house, but kept turning in bed, unable to close his eyes. 'Mister Nine' kept echoing in his mind. Just when he thought his troubles are over new and bigger ones appear. He stops the kidnapping of Hinata only to have Kumo ask her to marry some neanderthal and leave Konoha. He sings the betrothal contract to negate their claim only to end up in a duel to the death to protect his loved one. He wins and just when he thinks it is over at last, with the treaty signed Raikage could do nothing to harm Konoha, this man somehow finds out his secret, a secret he will probably share with his brother. Naruto was no fool, he knew Raikage would reveal his status as Kurama's jailer to every nation. Kumo, Iwa, Kiri, Suna and all of Konoha will know his deepest secret by the end of the week probably. Maybe B will keep quiet about this? Maybe Raikage will not reveal it right away? Maybe not at all? Yeah, and maybe pigs will grow out wings and fly... Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on his door.

"Naruto-kun, Hiashi-sama wants you in his study right away." Tokuma's voice roused Naruto fully.

"I'll be right away, Tokuma-san. Just to get my clothes in order." Naruto responded and after a minute he walked outside to find Tokuma still there, with a big smile on his face.

"I watched your battle, Naruto-kun. Great job. You defeated a chunnin without injury and under thirty seconds. That was not a battle, that was an execution! Serves those Kumo bastards right."

Naruto was deaf to Tokuma's praise. While he valued an opinion of a jounin like Tokuma, said to be one of the strongest in the clan, he had other things to focus on.

"Thank you, Tokuma-san. Your praise really pleases me." he half-heartily responded. "Say, Tokuma-san, if i had a secret, a really big secret, and it was something bad, would you still be my friend and support me?" Naruto asked.  
"What brought this on, Naruto-kun? Is there something wrong?" Tokuma asked, perplexed with the child's somber mood. "Well, whatever it is, I will stand beside you to the end. You forget you have saved Hana-sama from dying, stopped the kidnaapping of Hinata-sama and even fought of Kumo for good today. Not to mention the respect you brought to the clan as a whole today at the stadium. If you ask me, the clan would forgive you even if you were to grow nine tails and start eating civilians." Tokuma finished with a laugh and patted Naruto on the back, oblivious to the flinching Naruto.

"Thank you, Tokuma-san, that means a lot to me." Naruto responded and went inside Hiashi's study, only to find both Hinata and Hanabi there with their parents.

After saying hello to everyone, Naruto sat on a nice cushioned chair in the study and placed Hanabi in his lap. The two-year-old leaned into his chest and started playing with Naruto's fingers. Naruto had to say these ministrations had a rather calming effect on him. Just what he needed to settle his thoughts.

"Hiashi-sama" Naruto began, only to correct himself after said man glared at him. "Tou-san, what are we going to do? I was planning to tell Hina-chan tonight, since we are to marry, but now I believe it is best we let the Clan know. it would cause distrust if they found out from someone else."

"You speak wise and true Naruto-kun, and I agree with you telling Hinata and Hanabi now, that is why they are here now with us." Hiashi said. "As for the clan, I'll call for a meeting tomorrow and get Hokage-sama to attend when we tell them."

Naruto nodded and then asked about the meeting time. "Why not right now, Tou-san? if we wait till tomorrow, they might hear it from someone else?"

Hana took Naruto's hand in hers and answered instead of Hiashi. "Hiashi-kun told me that the Daimyo himself promised to reward you tomorrow. I believe his words were "I'll give him anything that he wants as long as it does not harm Hi no Kuni or Konoha itself"." Hana finished with a smirk. A realisation dawned on Naruto.

"He said that? That means we might have a solution to the Hyuga clan's main problem as early as tomorrow! I can not believe our luck!" He exclaimed. " How sure are you that he will go with our idea?"

Hiashi ignored his daughters' puzzled faces, they probably wanted to know what Naruto wanted to tell them tonight. He smirked himself and spoke. "I'm almost positive, Naruto-kun. The Daimyo has just got on the throne some months ago. Since he was not the eldest son of the late Hiro, there was quite a strife going on. I have voiced my support for him before hand and aided him with money and influence our clan has in Fire country. Now if he goes through with our idea tomorrow, not only will he get even more support from us, but he will also make a name for himself. The matter at hand is quite important and it will only strenghten the village as a whole." Hiashi finished, quite pleased with himself. He chose well to support the Daimyo in his struggle for the throne, and from tomorrow, his own name will be written in history along Naruto's, who is to become his daughter's husband and in time a Hokage, if his progress is anything to go by. 'I so love it when plans come to fruition.'

"And if all goes to plan, Naruto-kun, the clan will take your secret in stride. After all, your deeds far outweigh the animosity they might feel for the Kyuubi." Hana added.

Hinata decided she had enough of being left out the loop and voiced her thoughts. "Ano, tou-chan, ka-chan... What is it that Naruto-kun needs to tell us? And what about the Kyuubi, ka-chan?" Hanabi just nodded her head as if to say "What she said.".

"Well, Hina-chan, Hanabi-chan, there is something you need to know about me." Naruto strted, then paused. All eyes were on him, as he started his explanation. "My full name is Naruto Hyuga-Uzumaki-Namikaze..."

After a half hour long explanation by Naruto that was interrupted several times by both Hinata and Hanabi, some help in explaining the sealing process by Hana and Hiashi, everyone sat in silence for a couple of seconds, Naruto and the two adults watching intently the girls reactions. Then, as if previously agreed on, both Hinata and Hanabi flung themselves at Naruto, embracing him.

"Naruto-kun, I don't care about the Fox, you are the one I love and one that will marry. Even if the Fox was a danger to me, I'm sure you'll protect us all like always." Hinata spoke with quite a determination behind her words. Hanabi was the next to speak in her small voice.

"What nee-chan said, Ruto-kun. You're my nii-chan and Fox just lives in your tummy." she said, then asked a naive question. "Say, nii-chan, does the Fox ever give you tummy-ache?"

Everyone smiled at this, and then Naruto responded. "No he does not, Hanabi-chan. In fact he makes me stronger, I'm never sick and I can train for hours without getting tired." Then he hugged them both and sincerely spoke. "Thank you, Hina-chan, Hanabi-chan. I don't know what I would do if you hated me because of Kurama."

After a good sleep he had, Naruto awoke so refreshed and happy that he thought he could do anything. The last night's meeting went better than he thought, he even feared less the inevitable meeting with the whole clan this evening. For now, he had a mission to do at the council meeting with the Daimyo, and so Kami helped him, he was going to complete it with flying colours. Naruto got ready, met with Hiashi and soon the two were on their way to the Hokage tower where the meeting was scheduled at noon.

As they walked through the village, Naruto could not help but feel proud at the looks he was getting from passing ninja and some of the civilians that were at the stadium yesterday, or have heard of his victory. Some of the ninja even nodded at him and that silver haired jounin with a face mask patted him on the head as he was passing by. There was also that purple haired kunoichi in a beige coat that had stars in her eyes when he looked at her. Too bad he could not stop to chat with her, she seemed lonely and sad if his emotion sensing ability was to be believed.

When they reached the council chambers, the two ninja guarding the door let them in while bowing politely. Naruto returned the bow and smiled at the thumbs up one of them gave him and then followed Hiashi inside.

The room was enormous in size, more then enough to house all of the clan heads, civilian members and advisors. He looked around without turning his Byakugan on, as Hiashi warned him that some members could take offence to that, and searched for the peple he saw around the village or while they were visiting Hiashi at the compound. The clan heads were all in attendance, as well the advisors, but what surprised Naruto was the presence of Tsunade and Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Daimyo must have wanted them present, Tsunade would never stay in Konoha this long. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Hokage, clad in his formal robes, hat, coat and all. The Daimyo came in next and was not what Naruto expected. He was a man in his late fifties, rather thin, wrinkles were prominent on his face and he had the most ridiculous head ornament. It was easily larger than his head an consisted of what seemed a paper fan with a flame painted on it, while some strings hanged around Daimyo's head. Following him was a rather, umm, fat woman dressed in an expensive dress that had a corset over it. Naruto wisely shifted to Hiashi's right side, using his clan hed as a human shield if the buttons on the dress cracked under pressure and shot off. in her arms was an equally fat cat that hat a choker with a name Tora on it. 'Tiger? Yeah right, that cat could not move faster than a snail...' Naruto mused. As if to prove him wrong, Tiger shot out of the lady's hands and simply vanished through the open door.

"Tora-chan!" the lady yelled after it.

"Do not worry Madam Shijimi, I'll send a genin team after it." the Hokage assured her. Naruto had the strangest feeling that he would be seeing that cat some more.

After everyone was seated, the Hokage called for order, an attendant made sure everyone was present and the Fire Daimyo oppened the discussion on the treaty that was signed with Kumo. Naruto was rather interested in politics and village affairs, but this was starting to get on his nerves. Three hours of going back and forth on every single thing the treaty mentioned was extremely boring. If it was not for some banter between Hiashi and Fugaku when the Sandaime explained just how the treaty was signed, Naruto would have fallen asleep. The Hokage provided him a chair to sit in, given that he was but a child and could not stand for that long. Naruto would have managed, after all, he had training sessions that consisted of standing on water for that long, but he was grateful nonetheless. He briefly cosidered falling asleep like that jounin from the Nara clan, but he feared being reprimanded by Hiashi later on. After they concluded thier debate on the fact that the treaty was valid for ten years from today, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, now that the treaty is done with, I would like to honor my promise from yesterday." the Daimyo began. "And also I would like to formally meet the brave man who risked his life for the sake of his clan and by extension Konoha and was one of the most deserving for the fact this treaty is signed."

The murmurs broke through the silence in the room and everyone turned their eyes to Naruto, who stood up from his seat and after a nod from Hiashi approached the Daimyo and bowed low before him.

"Hyuga Naruto, at your service, Daimyo-dono." Naruto began. "You give me more credit than I deserve, I only defended my fiance and my clan. The treaty signing was entirely Hokage-sama's and Hiashi-sama's doing."

The Daimyo inspected the youth in froth of him and then shook his head in negative. "No need to be modest, young man. Your Hokage and clan head have informed me that it was you that gave them the means to turn a potentially disastrous situation into this, a win for the Fire country and Konoha."

Naruto blushed a bit and bowed again. He could almost feel the pride rolling of Hiashi and the Hokage. "Again, I thank you for your praise."

The council watched with undivided attention at the proceedings. The Daimyo took a deep breath and then he spoke. "As I said before, I promised yesterday before many of the people here present that I will reward you. Daimyo's word is law by itself, and I now ask you what do you wish for, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto already knew what to ask and how to do it, but decided to play a bit, so with an amazed voice he asked back. "Really? Thank you so much? You said anything I want?"

The Daimyo and several clan heads laughed a bit at this child-like question. Hiashi only smirked, knowing what is to come.

"Yes, anything you wish, Naruto-kun. Of course it needs to be within my possibilities and it cannot harm my country or this village in any way. So, what will it be?"

If there was a person in the room that thought naruto was going to ask for a new toy or life time supply of candy, they sober up seeing the youth adopt a serious look on his face. Hiashi could barely contain his glee and Hiruzen had an almost as eager expression on his face. Naruto breathed in, schooled his face, almost scaring the Daimyo in the process, and spoke in a firm, but still humble tone.

"I wish for you to annul a law that has brought my clan and Konoha as whole nothing but misery. A law set up on the behalf of an envious and scared clan at the foundation of this village. I humbly ask of you, Daimyo-dono, to abolish the law that tore the Hyuga clan in two families and placed restrictions on our teachings." Naruto finished his request and was not disappointed when he heard shouts throughout the room. The loudest of them was Uchiha Fugaku.

"Daimyo-dono! You cannot possibly fulfill this child's request! The law he speaks of is one of the oldest in this village! There is no way for a child to know of it, Hiashi must have planned this all along! My clan will not allow this!" Fugaku almost frothed at the mouth by the end of his speech.

Daimyo looked at him sharply and responded with an edge in his voice. "You will not raise your voice in my presence, Fugaku, or I will remove you from your seat as a clan head! And just what gives you the idea that the Uchiha clan, or any clan has a say in this matter? If I recall correctly, I asked Naruto-kun to say what he wants as a reward, and only I will decide whether to fulfill his wish or not."

"I appologize, Daimyo-dono. Still, I believe you should not do this. Rest assured I will file a complaint to your court if you go through with this child's demand." Fugaku said while bowing in apology to the Daimyo.

"Appology accepted, Fugaku-san. About that complaint you can file it to my older brother, with whom you are on really good terms if a recall. He is in charge of public affairs now." Daimyo responded, enjoying the way Fugaku flinched at the mention of his brother. Then he turned to Hiashi and Naruto and spoke. "Could you state the reasons why this would be a good idea, Hiashi-san, Naruto-kun?"

It was Hiashi that spoke this time. "Daimyo-dono, Naruto-kun's request is indeed in the best interest of Fire country and Konoha as a whole. The division between the Main and Branch family has brought nothing good to my clan or Koniha as a whole. For generations, my clan was forced to brand their brothers and sisters by the Caged Bird seal and move them to the Branch family. This rule made almost impossible for my clan to prosper, given that many families decided on having only one child in order to avoid branding their youngest and casting them away. My own twin brother was branded for being four minutes younger than me, and I have just recently restored our bonds to what they were in our childhood. Naruto-kun here was forced to grow up as an orphan because none of the families would adopt him out of fear that their future children would get the seal and be moved in the Branch family. Do you know the pain of a parent when their child looks at them with hate? The pain an older sibling feels for not being with theur brother and sister? The fear that someone will use the seal on their forehead and bring them pain or death that all Branch members feel?"

Here Hiashi paused and looked around for reactions. Many seemed moved, Fugaku was almost livid, Daimyo nodded at the story and his wife was silently crying. He continued.

"If the law was removed, my clan would prosper and Konoha in turn with it. We are all loyal Konoha ninja, Daimyo-dono, and we would defend it with our lives, as we have during all this time. You would have our eternal gratitude and support, Daimyo-dono." Hiashi finished his speech.

There were some murmurs in the room while Daimyo cosulted with his two advisors and his wife. Hiashi and Naruto waited patiently for the decision. Even the ever-sleeping Nara was awake and watched on in interest. Daimyo dismissed his advisors and stood up from his chair. Everyone rose at this, it would be disrespectful not to.

"I, Akihiro Suzuki, Daimyo of Fire country, in the power I possess as the supreme ruler of this lands, hereby abolish the laws made at the formation of Konohagakure no Sato that established and promoted the Hyuga clan's division, use of the Caged Bird seal and any and all restrictions placed on the teachings of clan arts in said clan. So mote it be."

"Thank you, Daimyo-dono, we are forever in your debt." both Hiashi and Naruto said at the same time, bowing low before the Daimyo.

"Rise, my friends. I hope that you will serve Konoha and Fire country just like before. Now I wish you goodbye, this meeting has been most taxing on my person." With another bow from everyone in the room, the Daimyo left along with his wife and advisors.

The Uchiha head stormed out the room after the Daimyo, as did some of the other members of the council. The Hokage came to Hiashi and congratulated both him and Naruto. Jiraiya was the next to do so, then someone clapped from their seat at the table. Everyone turned to see the Nara head, Shikaku still sitting down and clapping in a bored manner.

"Well done, Hiashi. You outdid yourself this time. How long have planned this? Since the time you gave support to Akihiro when he fought for the throne? Before that?" he said in his usual drawl.

Hiashi was too happy to reprimand him on speaking to him while still sitting and without the honorifics, but he was not one to take his implications in stride. "Just what are you aiming at, Shikaku-san? Any plans I might have had are not your interest, given that they are my own matter."

"I understand, Hiashi, but I am curious by nature. The way I see it it all came together for you nicely. The Daimyo taking power, the unsuccessful kidnapping of your daughter."

Here Hiashi cut him off. "Choose your words or shut your mouth, Nara. You do not know what you speak of."

Shikaku would not let go, though. By this time everyone in the room was looking at the pair, Hiashi standing on one side of the table and Shikaku still sitting with his arms crossed directly across the table.

"I mean, what I wonder is just how could a lone ninja enter the Hyuga compound unnoticed and take your daughter under your nose? Could it be you "overlooked" his intrusion in order to further your plans?"

"Shut your mouth, bastard! Hiashi-sama would never do that! He loves his daughters more than life itself!" Naruto exploded at the Nara head who turned his gaze to him and spoke in the same drawl as before.

"You should behave yourself or Hiashi will use the seal to discipline you, boy. How about your involvement in the matter? He sent you as a guard dog against the Raikage's son, a chunnin. He views you as nothing more than a tool, a weapon he points as his enemies!" Shikaku yelled the last part out.

Hiashi went to shut the man up, but Naruto had a different idea. he vaulted over the table aiming his right foot that was glowing with chakra at Shikaku.

"Shut up!" he yelled as his foot connected with a hastily made cross guard by the Nara head. Everyone winced at the sound of bone breaking in Shikaku's forearms an his pained scream. Naruto pushed of the now broken arms and went into the air. He reached the wall, pushed of with his feet and went in for another flying kick at the screaming man.

"Ansatsuken So Ryu: Ouga" he yelled out and his glowing foot connected with Shikaku's torso launching him from his chair into the wall that was some three meters behind him. The body made a sickening thud upon collision, but Naruto ignored it and landed on his feet, immediately bringing his arm back with his palm open ready to launch an Eight trigrams: Vacuum palm at hi downed foe.

"Naruto, stop!" Hiashi's voice cut through the commotion that was in the room. Naruto relaxed and went to stand before Hiashi, hi head bowed. Inoichi and Chouza went to pick up their downed friend who coughed up a mouthful of blood and groaned in pain.

"Hiashi, wont you punish him!" a furious Inoichi yelled out glaring daggers at Naruto.

"No, I believe Naruto punished him enough." Hiashi said with a straight face. At that a number of people chuckled. Well, Tsume Inuzuka howled with laughter.

"Not him, Naruto! He assaulted a clan head!" Chouza spoke up in a deep tone. He was not amused by the joke, it seems. Hiashi glared back at them and spoke in an icy tone.

"Why should I? Naruto is a good boy. Everyone in here heard Nara-san insulting me and Naruto. He got of lightly, given that I could have disciplined him myself or just let Naruto fire that Vacuum palm and blow his head off."

"He might have went out of line, but look at him! he has two broken arms and internal bleeding!" Inoichi reponded.

"A small price to pay given he insulted a member of the Hyuga clan. People have died for less." Hiashi said evenly. "He did not go out of the line, Yamanaka-san. He openly said I let my daughter be kidnapped and possibly taken to Kumo to serve as breeding stock. Also he called my future son-in-law just a guard dog for me to use. What would you have done in my place, should someone insult you like this?"

Not waiting for a response, Hiashi called Naruto to follow him and after saying goodbye to the Hokage, Jiraiya and other clan heads, wen for the door. They were stopped at the exit by Tsunade.

"Naruto-kun, was that my super strenght you used in your attack?" asked Tsunade while patting Naruto on the head. Naruto looked up and smiled at her.

"No it isn't, you never said how to perform it after all. It is just an application of the Gentle Fist I use with my feet, nothing major." he answered. After her nod he continued. "Would you join us for dinner, Godmother?"

END

OK, that is it. Hope you like the chapter. I'm very happy with the reviews I got so far from you. Thank you, every one of you.

Now, I hope you forgive me for the lack of action in this chapter, sometimes no fights go on. About Naruto owning Shikaku, he is not jounin level or anything. If you read carefully, you will see that Nara-san was sitting down, drowsy from his sleep, and he definitely did not expect for Naruto to jump him at that speed. Same with the others in the room not stopping him.

This is no bashing story and it will not be one if I have a say in the matter. Shikaku simply had an urge to rationalise the events and given Hiashi's coldness when not with his family, anyone would have thought it all seems so convenient, right?

Bye everyone

Nikola. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After hearing Naruto call her his Godmother, Tsunade took her hand out of his hair as if burnt. Confusion and surprise were evident on her beautiful face. She drew in a shaky breath and spoke.

"What did you call me, Naruto-kun? How can I be your Godmother?"

Naruto was surprised himself. Did Tsunade not know of her obligation to him? That would explain why he saw her for the first time in the stadium, but how could she not know?

"Yes, I called you my Godmother because that is what you are. I read my mother's diary and when my father chose Jiraiya as Godfather, she named you my other Godparent. Why are you surprised?" Naruto answered her, clearly confused himself.

By this time, Hiashi had lead them both away from the crowd that was still in the council chamber. Hiashi had a somewhat nervous expression on his face that Tsunade saw and questioned him on it.

"Both sensei and Jiraya told me Minato's and Kushina's child died at birth, how can you be alive? I admit you are an exact image of your father, but how?" Then she turned to Hiashi and spoke with an edge to her voice. "You seem to know what is going on, Hiashi-kun. Care to explain?"

Hiashi was now sweating bullets and almost begged "I believe we should get Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-san and meet at the Hyuuga compound to explain both to you and naruto what is going on." Tsunade went to protest, but Naruto grabbed her hand and explained.

"Godmother, please calm down. I'm sure they will be able to explain better somewhere away from here. My parentage is a secret known only to a few people, someone might hear us."

Tsunade relaxed somewhat and answered back. "Very well. Hiashi, we will meet in five minutes at your home. I'll go get my former teammate and sensei." After saying that she stomped of in the direction of Hokage and Jiraiya who were chatting with some council members right now.

Hiashi let out a breath and left with Naruto in tow to tell his family the good news, hoping that Tsunade wont hurt him to bad after the meeting.

After sharing the joyful news with Hana and her daughters, both Naruto and Hiashi went to the study room with them and waited. Naruto was feeling so many emotions right now he thought he would faint. His Godmother thought he was dead, and apparently his Godfather, Hokage and father-in-law were the ones keeping the truth from her. Why? Shikaku's words came to mind, but Naruto quickly dismissed them. Hiashi and Hana were always nice to him, even though they could have easily subjugated him with the Caged Bird seal and made him a human weapon. There was something else at work here, but what? He was brought back from his thoughts when Tsunade marched in the room with a rather fidgety Jiraiya and Sandaime behind her. She did not bother sitting down and just as the door shut closed, Tsunade went to ask her question.

"I'm working on stopping a flu outbreak in Mountain country with Shizune-chan, then this pervert here" she said, pointing at Jiraiya, "comes in my office and asks me to come to Konoha to see if I can heal Hana-chan. I return as soon as I finished stopping the flu and end up witnessing Naruto-kun's fight the other day. Today I find out that my Godson was alive and well all these years, so excuse me if I'm a bit impatient here."

"More like pissed beyond belief." muttered Jiraiya. Tsunade shoot him a glare.

"Shut it, you idiot! You told me my Minato's kid died on the night of attack and I mourned him ten times over in these six years! I want answers. Now!"

All three men flinched at the tone and the furious look at Tsunade's face, while Hana bowed her head in silence. Sandaime, being the Hokage and the one that instigated the whole affair, took this time to speak.

"Tsunade-chan, it was all my idea. I decided to keep Naruto a secret from you." At this Tsunade went to grab him by the colar and give him a piece of her mind, or fist as it seemed, but Hiruzen put his arms up in order to placate her. "Wait, you need to know why I did that, Tsunade-chan. You already left Konoha prior to Naruto's birth and you were in no condition to care for him. Hiashi and Hana did that job perfectly as you can see. I decided to give you time to heal your wounds and raise Shizune-chan properly. The only reason Jiraiya knows of Naruto is because of the seal." Here Tsunade cut him off.

"Seal? What seal? What did you do to him, you batard?" She yelled glaring at Hiashi. Naruto was the one to answer. He went and hugged her around the waist and spoke.

"Godmother, please it is not what you think. The seal they speak of is the the one that holds the Kyuubi inside me. Father could not defeat it in any other way so he sealed it in me. Please calm down." Naruto almost begged her.

What followed this statement was yelling by Tsunade, explanations in detail about the sealing, Naruto's health, his life in the clan, more yelling, apologies by all the men present for keeping Naruto a secret and more yelling by Tsunade. Jiraiya actually ended up unconscious at the floor when he attempted to hug her when he apologized. After it all settled down, Hiashi could not be more pleased for the soundproof seals on his study, Jiraiya was happy he got away with only a lump on his head and a swollen eye, Hokage was for the first time glad he was so old and fragile so Tsunade just gave him a glare and Hana, Hanabi and Hinata were most pleased to see a woman (wo)manhandle a Hokage, a Sannin and a clan head in record time.

Naruto would normally be thrilled with spending alone time with his Godmother, but this he did not like one bit. Reason was that he was sitting in the medical ward of the Hyuuga compound and his Godmother had been scanning and prodding him with needles and several other unpleasant instruments in the last half an hour. just as Hokage and Jiraiya left, she insisted on giving him a full medical check-up, and when the world's best medic says full, she means full. Naruto was glad that with her skills she deemed the rectal exam obsolete and just scanned him with a jutsu of her own invention. Still, this was getting on his nerves.

"Godmother, I'm in perfect health. I've never been sick in my life thanks to the Fox, can we get this over with already?"

"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I had to see for myself. You're right, you're probably the healthiest person I've seen in my life." Tsunade responded while writing some things down in a chart. "You are slightly taller than normal for your age and you've started to build some visible muscle, but that is not really odd, given you've been training since three years old. Chakra capacity is totally of the charts, in three years or so you'll equal mine if you continue training like you've done so far." Tsunade let out a tired breath and asked a totally unrelated question.

"Are you happy, Naruto-kun? I mean, you are incredibly mature for your age, strong, loved by all of the Hyuuga for your deeds, but do you regret training constantly, Hiashi did not make you do anything extreme did he?"

Naruto understood what she was asking and decided to answer truthfully. "Yes, I'm happy, Godmother. I wont say it was always milk and honey for me, especially when I did not know about my parents and when this whole mess with Kumo was going on. I do train a lot, as a matter a fact, I have three Shadow clones reading on various topics in the library right now." Naruto chuckled at Tsunade's expression and continued. "Even so, I feel accepted by my clan, I helped save Hinata-chan from Kumo and today Daimyo ended those laws, so, yes I am happy. I understand that all my training these years enabled me to achieve this and I will continue on my way to become strong. For my family and clan." Naruto finished, and Tsunade could not help but hug him tightly.

" I am glad you feel that way, Naruto-kun." she said and then she asked him a question that has been on her mind since she found out about being his Godmother. " I want to know if you are really okay with having no contact with me for all these years? I know that I was lied to by Jiraiya and sensei, but I should have come back to Konoha sooner, Naruto-kun. Maybe I could have raised you along with Hana and Hiashi, or..."

" I regret nothing, Godmother." Naruto cut her of once he realised that she was starting to ramble. " You needed to get out of Konoha for a while and take care of Shizune-san. If you knew I was alive you would have either stayed here and suffered because of all the memories you have of this village, or you would have taken me along and I would have never got this strong, or saved Hana-kaa-san, or Hinata-chan. I understand, Godmother, and I do not blame you. You're here now." Naruto finished and smiled at her. Tsunade had to smile back.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Now that I am here, I won't go away and I will be here to help you along. Say, how goes your training in chakra control and medical techniques?"

" Well, my chakra control is great, I've been working on widening my chakra coils and accelerating the chakra flow inside my body. Hiashi-sama suggested it, since my chakra is so dense and my capacity so large, this is practically a necessity if I want my control in the future to get to medic ninja level." Naruto replied honestly. While his control was great for his age, if anyone could help him make it better it was Tsunade.

" Hm, I'll help you with some exercises made by my grandmother for the Uzumaki clan members. Hiashi was right to suggest widening your coils, I had some trouble myself in the beginning with chakra control."

The Hyuuga clan's meeting chamber was full to the brim once more in just a week from the last meeting they had. Every single man, woman and child was waiting expectantly for their clan head who had an important notice for them. Naruto was sitting near Hinata and Hana who was holding Hanabi in her arm while in the wheelchair. His heart thumped with nervousness, fear and anticipation and Hinata noticed this. She took his arm in her embrace and leaned on his shoulder, whispering.

"It will all be alright, Naru-kun. You'll see." Naruto did not answer her, he just smiled and squeezed her hand slightly. 'I sure hope so, Hina-chan. I hope so' he thought.

Hiashi entered followed by Sandaime, Jiraiya and Tsunade and he quickly called for silence. He tried schooling his face, but a happy smile still managed to shine through his eyes.

"My brothers and sisters, today is a great day for the Hyuuga clan. Just some hours ago, Daimyo of Fire country has abolished the laws keeping our clan divided and our family from the Branch house oppressed! As of today, the noble Hyuuga clan is once again whole and free of the Caged Bird seal!"

Naruto was sure the whole village could have heard the shouts of joy as clan members yelled in victory, embraced each other and even cried in happiness. This went on for a minute or so, before Hiashi established order once again.

"This would not be possible without a member of our clan who has indebted us all for yet another time. The Daimyo acted on request of our own Naruto-kun. He had selflessly used his right to ask for a reward from the Daimyo and used it to bring happiness to his clan. Brothers and sisters, please greet our Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Hyuuga!"

There was cheering all across the room as Naruto walked in front of the crowd and bowed low in return. Then Hokage took the stage.

"Well, Naru-kun, that went rather well, don't you think?" Hinata asked from her spot while leaning against Naruto's chest and sighing contently.

It was just the two of them in the garden, propped against the tree and sitting on a blanket. Hinata was seated in between of Naruto's spread legs, leaning backwards, still in her lavender kimono she wore on the clan meeting. Naruto was currently looking at the sunset over the Hokage mountain. His right arm was wrapped around Hinata's waist, while his left was gently running through her silky hair.

"Yes, it went better than I thought, Hina-chan." he responded to her. "I guess having the favour of the whole clan beforehand, two of the Sannin as Godparents and being the son of a Hokage far outweighs the stigma of being a jinchuriki for the Kyuubi."

"Yes I guess it does." Hinata answered. "Though, you forgot to add your most important title, Naru-kun."

Naruto looked confused and turned her head slightly to look in her eyes. 'Kami, she is so cute.' he thought.

"And what is that tittle, Hina-hime?"

"Why the tittle of being my future husband, Naru-kun." Hinata said in a gentle voice, and blushed slightly.

"Are... are you sure you want me, Hime? I really like you and would love nothing more than for you to be my wife." Naruto managed to say, after getting his wits together.

Hinata only smiled, and still blushing, nodded in confirmation. Naruto would have screamed in happiness if he could find the strenght to do so. He only lowered his head until their foreheads touched and proceed to lay a chaste kiss to Hinata's lips which she returned in kind.

As on cue, hundreds of pairs of Byakugan eyes deactivated throughout the compound. The notion of privacy was seemingly lost on those who can see through walls with ease...

Following the Hyuuga clan's unification and the abolishment of the Caged Bird seal life in the clan continued in a much happier setting. The clan seal masters along with Jiraiya worked daily to remove the seals from all Branch members and replace them with new security seal that was developed to protect their renowned bloodline.

The counter seal existed for as long as the Caged Bird seal did itself and was intended to be used as the proverbial "carrot on the stick" in order to keep the Branch members in line. You do good for the clan or a Main Branch family decides to adopt you and your seal is removed, just as Naruto was offered when he saved Hana from death. Speaking of Hana, Tsunade did a thorough research on her condition and concluded that she could be cured in time. It would take a surgery, a lot of therapy but in a few years Hana will walk again. She will never be able to match a ninja, but life as a civilian did not seem to mind her that much. With her growing daughters and her family happy, Hana cared little for missions and fighting.

The new seal Jiraiya developed was placed on each Hyuuga member given that all it did was destroy the Byakugan upon death or violent extraction from a live person. It was the size of a coin and placed near the person's heart. In a few days time the ink would be absorbed by the skin and only be visible when Byakugan was in use. Needless to say, Jiraiya was not allowed to place seals on female clan members and only prepared the formula on paper for further use.

The word about the happenings at the meeting with Daimyo spread around like wildfire and Hiashi was congratulated by nearly every clan head or important person in Konoha. Uchiha clan was amongst those who did not, surprise, surprise.

With the time for academy to start approaching, Hiashi and the clan council saw it prudent to throw a small party for the all of important people in Konoha, inviting all of the clan heads and their children, given that Naruto and Hinata would be going to class with many of the other clan heirs this year. It was going to be glorious!

Naruto did not think so, though. His time was spent training with Hinata and surprisingly Neji, who fully changed his aloof behaviour after the Branch house/Main house division ended. He even had a small hero worship towards Naruto, which seriously creeped the blond kid out. Seriously, from a bitter rival to a hero figure, what was going on inside Neji's mind. Still, Neji proved a great sparring partner for Hinata and a valuable source of information on academy curriculum for Naruto.

The problem with parties this large was that they attracted crowds and crowds tend to surround Naruto and basically bore him to death with stupid questions. The other kids his age somewhat interested him, it is always nice to establish yourself among peers and meet people you'll probably deal with your entire life, but kids Naruto's age still held onto their mother's skirt and played on swings in the park. He guessed he should give them a break, but he got along best with Hinata and Neji. He could swear Hanabi was better to talk to than that Inuzuka kid that just chased after cats... Seriously. Not to mention, many of the clan heirs shot him fearful glances after his performance at the stadium, he could not bring himself to care.

"Naruto-kun, are you in there?" Hiashi's voice was heard from behind the door.

Naruto was so startled he almost fell into the water of his indoor pool while practising his kata. Yes, his own indoor pool. Apparently, being engaged to a clan heiress pays dividends. All he had to do was complain to Hiashi that the pond he worked at was chilly and voila! New indoor pool in his house complete with heating seals that worked on his chakra and could also be set to release chakra in the water making it heavier. Did wonders for Naruto's swimming exercises and beats weight training any day. He hastily threw a coat on and opened the door for Hiashi to enter.

"Good day, Hiashi-tou-san, what can I do for you?" asked a clearly confused Naruto. It was not normal for Hiashi to come to you personally, normally you were to appear at his study, so his confusion was evident.

"It has been asked of me to arrange a date between my daughter and you for today. I've come to set some rules." Hiashi stiffly responded.

"May I ask who suggested the date?" Naruto asked, none to comfortable with the topic. Hinata and him were always seen in company of either Hana or Hiashi, sometimes both, in public.

"My wife did." was Hiashi's short reply. "Now, you will dress your best for the park today, we will be going as a whole, Hana, Hanabi and I will stay in the park for the day, while you will take my daughter to a nearby cafe for a drink and maybe something to eat, I will supply you with money. Any questions?"

"I understand, Hiashi-tou-san. You said something about rules?" Naruto responded, somewhat relaxed, but not entirely comfortable.

"Yes, rules." Hiashi started flatly, then he suddenly looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "You will be a perfect gentleman to my daughter. No indecent touching, no hugging and absolutely no kissing in public! I'll have my eyes on you at all times. Understand?" This last statement was accompanied by a Byakugan enhanced glare. Needless to say, Naruto understood.

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good. Go get ready, we leave in two hours."

So here was Naruto with Hinata, sitting inside a nice little cafe near the park and sipping his tea, all the while eating his dango. Hinata opted for a lemonade and surprise, cinnamon buns, one of which she was munching happily. The talk came easy to them, mostly about the upcoming party, where they were to be officially presented as a couple and perform the traditional courting ritual. The ritual consisted of a mock spar between them, as tradition entailed, Naruto was busy talking Hinata into doing an additional performance to the spar when a loud voice interrupted them.

"Hey, old man! A bottle of sake and eight sticks of dango for me! I'll be with the lovebirds here."

Naruto averted his eyes to the person talking and was greeted to the sight of a familiar looking girl in nothing but a mesh body suit, a indecently short orange mini-skirt and a beige trench coat over her. He recalled her from his walk to the meeting with Daimyo a month ago. She went to sit next to Hinata.

"Hiya, brats, don't mind me sitting here? Everywere else is occupied." She announced and proceeded to sit down without awaiting their response. Hinata was the first to speak.

"Ano, I'm Hyuuga Hinata, and you are?" she asked the girl near her.

"How rude of me." the girl apologized. "I'm the sexy Anko Mitarashi-sama, at your service, Hinata-chan. Who is your man?" Anko proceeded to take one of Naruto's dango sticks into her mouth in such a way that Naruto had to blush and look away.

If Hinata was disturbed by the girl's familiarity, she did not show it. "Nice to meet you, Anko-san. This is Naruto Hyuuga, my future husband." Why she felt the need to stake her claim on Naruto right away, Hinata would never know.

Anko gave a laugh then almost shouted. "Wait, you're that kid from the stadium! I am such a fan of yours! The way you wasted that buffoon from Kumo was so great!"

By this time, the whole cafe was listening on the exchange and Naruto could swear he felt Hiashi's eyebrow twitch from all the way here. 'That will teach him to give people privacy.' he mused in his head. He smiled politely and answered.

"Umm, yes I am. Glad to meet you, Anko-san." then he frowned and asked Anko. "Would you mind sitting near me, though? You are unintentionally flashing me your breasts from time to time." he finished in a whisper.

Anko laughed again and then proceeded to flash him again. "How do you know it is not intentionally done to entice you, Naruto-kun?" she purred his name and Naruto blushed like a red lantern. Hinata turned red too, probably in rage, but before any of them could respond, Anko did.

"Just messing with you, brat. Now tell me about yourself."

And so a wonderful friendship began. Safe to say, the date was over the moment Anko joined them. For a first time it was not that bad, Naruto thought to himself. At least I got a new friend. Anko was a chunin for a year alredy, remarkable as she was only thirteen. Both naruto and Hinata pestered her with questions on ninja life, her senseis, time in the academy and such. They realized Anko harbored some hate toward Orochimaru, the rogue Sannin and her former sensei. She did not elaborate on why and how they parted ways, but both children knew better then to pry seeing the clear distaste on Anko's face when he was mentioned. Two hours passed by and Hiashi, Hana and Hanabi came to take them home. Naruto could clearly feel sadness coming from Anko when they were about to part ways so he decided to alleviate that somehow. For the two hours they talked she never mentioned her friends or teammates, understandable given who her sensei was and the dislike some passing ninja radiated toward her.

"Anko-san, would you like to come over tothe compound sometime to see us?" Naruto began. " I mean, we could train together or just talk if you like?"

Anko was stunned at first, a Hyuuga wanted to spend time with her, Mitarashi Anko, the infamous Snake Sannin's apprentice? She shakily nodded her head. " Sure, if Hiashi-sama does not mind. I do not have much to do besides missions and training. It is not as if I'm swamped by friends or anything." she finished in a small voice.

Hiashi did not seem to mind and Hana felt some motherly affection toward the girl seeing her so sad and alone. Anko's cheerful mask did not fool her one bit, and she knew a lot about her situation from Hiashi beforehand. With the consent given, Anko appeared in the Hyuuga compound tommorow morning and the day after that and the day after that one, too. This was the beginning of the legend of the Neo Sannin of Konoha.

The months went by and safe to say, life was not boring for Naruto with Anko around. She came at least five times a week when not on missions to train with them and Tsunade found it proper to civilize her a bit. Any and all attempts failed though, Anko had to be bribed by training from Tsunade just to get her to wear a bra under her mesh suit. Hiashi resisted at first, but allowed Anko to come to the compound regularly at the insistence of Naruto, Hinata and Tsunade herself, who felt responsible for how her former teammate used the young girl. Neji's reactions to Anko's behaviour were interesting to say the least. Despite the age difference, Anko had no problem teasing the poor academy student.

She was also able to give Naruto a serious challenge when it came to taijutsu practise. While her forms were not up to par with Naruto's, her speed, strenght and willingness to strike bellow the belt could not be negated. They benefited from training together, so all was forgiven. Even her use of Naruto's pool without asking for permission. He once woke up to find her swimming along in a skimpy bikini in the crack of dawn. Now, that was a shock. She probably flashed the guards to let her in, Naruto reasoned.

It was the end of August and the long dreaded Hyuuga clan's party was upon the poor Naruto. He and Hinata worked out their little performance to perfection. All that is left is to face the music.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto dressed as nice as he could with some help from Tsunade and Hana. Hinata bought him a gift in the form of a new, silver kenseikan piece that he put near his right temple to have his hair go behind his ear. Damned hair, with every passing year it seemed to grow even wilder, if this went on he was sure to get some jutsu to make it straight. His clothes consisted of a simple white kimono with a traditional black coat with the Hyuuga clan symbol on his back. If it were not for his headpiece and blond hair, he could pass for a mini-Hiashi. 'The things I do for my clan...' Naruto sighed sadly and went to join Hiashi's family and greet the guests.

When he arrived he was greeted to the site of a thoroughly dressed up Hiashi, Hana, Hinata and Hanabi. By Kami, even the two-year old was wearing a cute little pink kimono. Hinata's attire was similar to his own, only she had a women's lavender cloak over her white kimono and her hair was done in a bun with some very expensive hair sticks in it. She truly looked like an angel to him. After a short greeting, the guests started arriving.

'What a bore. I wish Anko was here.' Naruto thought while trying to hold a conversation with some of the clan kids that came to the party. The adults were enjoying the traditional kabuki theatre and geisha dancers, whom Jiraiya was ogling like a mad man. There were even some musicians with zithers and shamisens around. Tuning out the music Naruto turned to observe the other kids. Neji was by his father's side near the stage, Hinata was conversing with the Kurama clan's heir, a frail looking girl whose name was Yakumo and the Yamanaka heir about clothes and whatnot. Nara heir was shooting fearful glances towards Naruto, while his best friend was stuffing himself with food, great. Inuzuka was running around looking for cats or dogs, Naruto did not want to know. Aburame found the butterflies most interesting and the Uchiha heir with the funny hair was shooting glances at his brother Itachi and mother Mikoto who were watching the play. Fugaku was away on clan business. 'Such a delightful company I have tonight' Naruto almost whined. He was tired of older women pinching his cheeks and the inability or unvillingnes of his age group to converse on anything not related to Naruto's killing of D and games they could play. Finally, the play ended and some Hyuuga clan members cleaned the stage for Naruto and Hinata's act.

Hiashi walked onto the stage and called for attention. Everyone stopped talking and turned toward the stage. Hiashi allowed some moments to pass in silence and then spoke.

" Dear guests, it is a great honor to see you all gathered here tonight. I hope the entertainment is to your liking." After a few approving nods and cheers from some of the guests, he continued. " As the grand finale for this lovely evening we have something special planned. My daughter Hinata and her betrothed, Naruto will perform the traditional courting ritual of the Hyuuga clan." Cheers broke out from the throats of almost every Hyuuga present and even some whistles were heard. Hiashi raised his hand to silence the crowd. " So, without further ado, I present you my daughter and heiress Hinata Hyuuga and her future husband and my son-in-law, Naruto Hyuuga."

Cheers and clapping announced Naruto and Hinata's coming onto the stage. They were both serious, for this was a moment of great importance for them, time to present themselves to the gathered guests and by extension all of Konoha. The slight smiles on their faces were noticeable to all, however. They climbed onto the stage, stood beside each other and bowed to the gathered audience. The first row was occupied by Hiashi, Hana and Hanabi. Next to them, Naruto's Godparents and the Hokage sat together with Hizashi and Neji. The clan heads and their children filled out the rest of the seats in the row.

Naruto and Hinata walked away from each other until they were about three meters apart and looked into each others eyes while assuming the beginning stance for the circle walking exercise that was to open the ritual. Music came from the shamisens behind the stage and they started performing the katas of the Gentle fist while walking in an imaginary circle, slowly coming closer to each other.

"Who do you think will win, Hiashi-dono?" asked Uchiha Mikoto. "The boy has shown remarkable skill already, are you sure your daughter has a chance?"

Hiashi answered witouth taking his eyes of the couple on the stage. " If either of them wins, I will be very dissapointed, Uchiha-sama. That would mean that they have not grasped the essence of this ritual."

"What do you mean, Hiashi-dono? I appologize for not being familiar with your clan's customs, but I do not understand." asked a confused Mikoto. It was Hana who answered this time.

" This is not a spar of any kind, Mikoto-san. The ritual is performed in order to gauge the couple's feelings for each other, to judge their love and devotion." Hana paused seeing Naruto perform a sweeping kick which Hinata jumped over and doing a somersault in the air landed a few feet away gracefully in a different stance this time. "They must abandon any thought of defeating the other, instead they must flow together as one. Love and matrimony is not about the husband conquering the wife and making her submit. It is about understanding and loving each other, brething as a single being."

Mikoto cast a glance to the stage where Naruto and Hinata accelerated their spar in accordance to the music and were exchanging blows at impressive speed. Still, not one blow met its target, they were nimbly avoided or redirected harmlessly. " Yes, you are right, Hana-san. That is the essence of matrimony." she spoke in a slightly lower voice. There was a slight hint of sadness in her voice, or so Hana imagined. " Still, they are both remarkably skilled. I think many genin cannot match their speed. Do you plan on having them graduate early, Hiashi-dono?"

" Thank you for the compliment, Uchiha-sama, but we decided against the idea. While they are more than ready, they are young and I fear what exposing them to the ninja life would do to their mind." Hiashi said, still watching intently the spar, amazed by the performance of the couple. Naruto was not going at full speed or strenght, but still, to think his gentle daughter could fight at this level was a bit surprising even to him. " As you know, almost all of the ninja that graduated early on tend to suffer some personality issues later on."

" That does make sense, Hiashi-dono." Mikoto responded and cast a glance at her older son, Itachi, who sat still as stone beside her with a blank face. Oh, she knew very well what the so called prodigies turned to be in time. The Sannin, one went rogue and committed horrific crimes, while the other two were seen in the village no more than twice a year, or for the first time in over six years in Tsunade's case. Hatake Kakashi who burried himself in ANBU service and porn novels, that Mokuton using child, Tenzo, that was inducted into service at just six years old and no one has seen him ever since. Her own son, scarred by deaths and constant missions turned reclusive and without any emotion showing. They were all strong ninja, but paid the price by not having any social life whatsoever. Was this the curse of all ninja? a curse sh could not save her own progeny from?

She was interrupted from her musings by thunderous clapping and saw that Naruto and Hinata ended their performance just as the music ended with Naruto embracing Hinata from behind around her waist with both hads and Hinata who leaned into him fully while facing the audience. She clapped too.

The party went on for an hour or so before everyone went on their way. Sandaime Hokage announced the return of Tsunade Senju to Konoha and the imminent appointment of her as the head of Konoha medic and healthcare system for ninja. Hiashi revealed that the Hyuuga clan would donate half of the funds needed for starting a medic ninja training program led by Tsunade herself that was due to start in less than a year. Trust Hiashi to always work on gaining support for the clan.

The party was a huge success it seems. The money spent on making it was money well spent in everyone's oppinion. You could not outright buy respect and recognition, but opening the doors of your home like the Hyuuga have done yesterday evening sure worked in gaining considerable support from the village populace, mainly the civilians lucky enough to be invited.

Naruto and Hinata were somewhat excited to be starting the ninja academy tomorrow. There was little they did not know about the curriculum and the first few years would be a waste for them, as well as many of the kids from ninja clans, but Academy was needed and very useful in getting to know your future teammates. Teamwork was very important in Konoha along with the whole Will of Fire idea that was to be instilled in young students and as a result, Konoha had the smallest number of missing-nin compared to other villages, especially Kirigakure.

So, Naruto persevered, his Shadow clones would continue to amass his knowledge on sealing and other subjects while he attended class. Truly an amazing jutsu, while they would not be practising any techniques, the increased studying time they gave Naruto payed dividends.

The last day before school started Naruto and Hinata spent with Anko and their family. The conversation was filled with advices about teachers and subjects to look out for, what to pay attention to and what was best being ignored. Hinata would be skkiping the etiquette lessons for kunoichi since she had that knowledge already being a heiress of the Hyuuga it was taught from an early age and the advanced lessons on seduction to come in the later years would be avoided entirely, too. Hyuuga do not stoop so low and Naruto could not be more grateful for this. The thought of his Hinata-chan seducing someone other than him was not a pleasant one. And yes, Naruto, just as many Hyuuga kids his age knew at least the basics of sexual relationships. The Byakugan and intimate study of human body from an early age along with some curiosity would do that.

First of September came and Academy students, old and new gathered in the Academy for the beginning of another school year. It was crowded and Naruto hated crowds, especially ones of young children that screamed and ran about. ' Are these the future shinobi oh Konoha? Ones that will in seven years slit peoples' throats for money?' Naruto wondered while standing with Hinata in front of the designated classroom where the class was to be held. There were no classes scheduled for today other than the two hour long introduction. The door opened and a ninja with a chunin flack jacket and a standard Konoha uniform along with a headband on his forehead ushered the kids inside. Naruto and Hinata walked in after the rest of children did and sat in the top row since everywhere else was taken.

" Hello, everyone! I am Umino Iruka, chunin of Konohagakure and I will be your head teacher for the seven years that are before us. I am seventeen years old and I've been a chunin for two years now. This is my second year teaching here and Hokahe-sama placed his trust in me to teach your generation. You will have over time other assistant teachers, you will receive lectures from many ninja that specialise in a certain field, but i will remain with you always." Iruka finished his introduction and looked around the class. 'The children are paying attention, good' he mused. "Does anyone have a question? Do not be shy, no matter how mundane it is, I will do my best to answer you. Yes, you in the third row, Inuzuka Kiba, was it?"

" Are there any dogs here?" Kiba asked with a hopeful look. "And how did you know my name? And what does mundane mean?" Naruto almost facepalmed at this. " We do not have any ninken here, Kiba-kun, but you will be allowed to bring your own once you gain one." Iruka answered. " I knew your name because I read it in the class roster, and mundane means common or banal. Any more questions?"

" How did you get the scar on your face?"

" Are you really a ninja?"

"Do you kill people?"

Naruto tuned out the questions and nudged Hinata that was sitting beside him gently. " How are you feeling, Hina-chan?"

Hinata smiled and answered quietly. " I'm fine, Naru-kun. It seems we are in for a boring seven years, does it not?" she asked back.

" That is good. I think so too, Hime." Naruto whispered back and took her hand in her own. " At least we have each other?"

Hinata just squeezed his hand in return and smiled again. The questions ceased after a couple of minutes and it was time for the introduction to begin.

" Okay, that's it as far as questions go." Iruka announced and called for silence. " Now I'm going to do a role call of each of you. When you are called, please come in front of the class and introduce yourself. Okay?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" How did your first day go?" asked Hana when Naruto and Hinata came from the Academy.

" Well, it was interesting, mother. We only had two introduction classes today and a lunch break in between." Hinata answered.

" Did you make any new friends?" Hiashi was the one to ask now.

" Not really. We knew all of the clan heirs from before and the civilian kids were mostly grouped together." Naruto answered. " I managed to speak a little with the Aburame heir, Shino and surprisingly had lunch with Shikamaru Nara and his Akimichi friend."

" Really? Did you talk about anything in particular?" Hiashi asked surprised.

" Not really, father. Shikamaru was mostly sleeping and Choji was busy eating." Hinata answered quietly. " At least they do not avoid Naruto-kun amymore."

" Nara are smart, and it has been months since Naruto put Shikaku in the hospital. They probably explained to Shikamaru what happened and that it is best to forget the whole incident and focus on the future, You will work together in the future after all." Hiashi explained. " And I did apologize for Naruto's behaviour and paid the medical bills for Shikaku."

" Whatever, he got what he deserved, Hiashi-sama." Naruto spoke dismissively. Then he corrected himself. " I mean, Father."

" That he did, son." Hana added, nodding her head. Never say that Hana Hyuuga is just a gentle, harmless soul. The Hyuuga matriarch had a mean streak in her.

Life in Konoha continued on as usual. Naruto and Hinata attended the Academy regularly and even though there was no ranking in class as of yet, everybody knew they were the top two in their studies. Naruto benefited greatly from the chakra control exercises Tsunade taught him and was mastering his affinities with time along with the Crane and Mantis styles. Hinata took up learning how to fight with crescent moon knives in case she needed to rely on her weapons skills and Tsunade resolved on making her a great medic-nin in time. Anko came regularly to train along and was working mostly on building up her reserves since Jiraiya sealed her Curse seal of Heaven to keep it from interfering with her chakra network. It could not be removed sadly, at least without getting a hold on Orochimaru's notes on the seal.

Two weeks came and went and the Academy class was having their first outdoor lesson on trapping skills. They were currently in the forest of one of Konoha's secluded training grounds listening to Iruka's instructions on trap making.

" Okay, everyone. Now that we finished with the theory on traps, I want you to go in a group and help each other in setting traps. All the kunai and shuriken are dull, so there is no risk in cutting yourself. However, they can leave a bruise if you get hit with one, so be carefull! No showing of, just the three basic traps I showed you. Go!"

The class went in the forest and looked for good places to place traps when Naruto picked up a slight killing intent radiating from about fifty meters away. Activating his Byakugan he saw two Kiri chunin hidden behind a low ranked genjutsu in the forest. He took Hinata's hand and spoke.

"Hinata-chan, we have two Kiri ninja up ahead in the forest. Please take the others and find Iruka sensei." At her scared look he just embraced her and spoke into her ear. " Believe in me, I will deal with them on my own. Just get others away in order not to get hurt and bring Iruka here. Can you do that, Hime?"

Hinata looked into his eyes and nodded. She knew the full extent of Naruto's abilities and was confident that he will win. If worst came to be, he had his chakra chains to aid him. " Okay, Naru-kun. Just be carefull." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and called for others to gather.

" Guys and girls, please follow Hinata and find Iruka sensei. I just saw two Kiri ninja hiding in the forest and i will go to at least delay them."

The mention of foreign ninja scared most of the children and they nodded. Uchiha Sasuke had a different idea, though.

" I'll stay too, Hyuuga. I can deal with some Kiri trash if you can."

" No you can not, Sasuke. You have no battle experience and I have a win against a chunin already on my record. Go with the others." Naruto responded. Sasuke was good for his age, but no one but himself fought before, or had mastery of their bloodline like him.

" I do not need to listen to you, Hyuuga! I am staying." Sasuke exclaimed. His brother and father warned him of Naruto, but he liked a challenge and a chance to prove himself.

" No one here has any real weapons, Sasuke and when it comes to taijutsu, hyuuga rule supreme. Go. With. The. Others." Naruto all but growled out the last sentence. When Sasuke showed no sign of backing down, Naruto raced to him faster than any of the kids could follow and knocked him out with a Gentke fist strike to the neck. ' I just know this will spell trouble for me. Fucking Uchiha.'

"Go! All of you get Iruka sensei here."

"I see him, Naruto-kun." Hinata spoke with her Byakugan activated. " He is about four hundred meters north."

With that, Choji and Kiba picked Sasuke up and joined the others then went to get Iruka.

Naruto debated on attacking first, but stayed his hand since the element of surprise would be greater this way, and judging from the chain the Kiri-nin had they planned on attacking him with it. 'Excellent.' Naruto thought. His heart beat slightly faster as he made a Shadow clone in case he needed to substitute himself with it. 'Time to die, little people.' he thought grimly. He would never admit it, but he loved the thrill fights with that Kumo jounin and D gave him. And he secretly enjoyed the fearful looks his classmates shoot him at occasion. It felt right.

As Naruto strode in the clearing where the Kiri-nin were hidden, he kept his bloodline active, observing their movements. The chunins spread apart and leapt into action twisting their chain in order to wrap it around him.

Naruto watched as the chain twisted in the air and came close to encircling him. He took a stance and when the chain came within a half of a meter of him he spun and cried out.

"Hakkesho Dai Kaiten!"

The force of the fifteen meters wide Kaiten took the chain with it and after spinning the chain and Kiri-nin around a couple of times around, broke the chain and slammed one of them into a tree, breaking a rib or two, while the other ninja landed on his back with a thud. Naruto stopped his rotation and walked toward his downed foe, seemingly ignoring the one who had broken ribs.

" Look at this... Two Kiri chunin in the middle of Konoha... I am afraid I cannot let you live, trash." Naruto spoke in his best "Hiashi voice", which was very good, if he could say it himself.

" Ouh... You little bastard!" The now standing Kiri ninja yelled out. " Gozu, are you okay?"

His partner just grunted and started forming hand seals. He never got to finish them as Naruto pointed his right hand in his direction and called out his jutsu.

"Hakke Kusho." The Vacuum wave palm hit its mark, launching the ninja back a couple of meters. Gozu cried out in pain and struggled to stay conscious.

"Die, you little shit!" the other ninja yelled and ran at Naruto.

"You first, Kiri trash." calmly responded Naruto who dodged the strike from the ninja's clawed gauntlet and jumped away towards a nearby tree.

"Ansatsuken Ki Ryu: Ouga!" Naruto called out and with his leg extended went to stomp on the injured ninja's head. the Kiri nin saw the move and stepped back, rearing his claw to strike Naruto when he landed. With his Byakugan active Naruto saw through the move and when landing immediately fell into a crouch and did a sweeping kick, catching the ninja off guard. he did not end it there, but instead pushed of the groundwith his right arm and performed his next attack, a rising kick toward the enemy's abdomen.

"Ansatsukek So Ryu: Gekiro!" He kicked first with his left and then launched his opponent in the air with a right leg kick enforced with chakra. Kiri-nin almost threw up from the force, but his troubles were just about to end. From behind the tree came Naruto's shadow clone, took a stance as if to perform a Kaiten, but did something different.

"Ansatsuken Ki Ryu: Jyakoha!" The clone spun in place a bit and then jumped toward the airborne ninja feet first. He grabbed him by the head with his legs, spun in the air five times with the ninja and then slammed him in the ground on his back snapping his spine. To add insult to injury, the clone landed a chakra enhanced stomp with both of feet on the dying man's chest caving them in and killing him.

Naruto had to smile a bit, Jyakoha was an advanced move from the Crane style and he did it perfectly. Now to deal with the rest of the trash that stood up in the mean time. He had to give it to the man. Despite being around fifteen years old, he was very resilent.

"Meizu! You killed him, you piece of shit!" Gozu yelled out holding hi chest in pain.

"That was the general idea, moron. My style is not called "The Murderous Fist" because it tickles..." Naruto spoke indifferent, but still very aware of his enemy's movements. "He should be honored, by the way. He fell to the style that claimed thousands of people in the past and made my ancestor a legend shall follow soon enough."

"Not if I can help it, you bastard!" Gozu spoke and performed a jutsu. Naruto let it hit him for he knew of its effects.

"Water release: Syrup capture field!" From Gozu's mouth came an impressive amount of yellowish, sticky fluid and covered Naruto from head to toe.

"Now die!" Kiri-nin yelled out and taking a kunai in his good hand charged Naruto who only smirked.

"Jukenpo: Ichigekishin." and just like that, charka exploded from within Naruto casting away any trace of Gozu's jutsu from his person. Naruto sidestepped the kunai, grabbed the Kiri-nin's right arm with his left, pulled him forward making him stumble in his steps and proceeded do deliver a chakra enhanced backhand toward Gozu's chest area. The enemy was barely standing at this point, so Naruto took his Mantis stance, drew his right arm back with his fingers forming a claw and rushed in with chakra enhanced speed.

"Ansatsuken So Ryu: Zan'ei!" He simply dashed by his enemy and stood still with his right hand extended. Gozu's body jerked a few times and then he fell forward, dead.

Naruto turned around to face his classmates and Iruka and simply walked towards them a few steps. He knew it was stupid to say it but that did not stop him.

"Enjoy the show?"

END 


End file.
